The Battle Mage of Hogwarts: Year 2
by Leaf Ranger
Summary: It's back to school for our fledgling Battle Mage. And now his little brother is in for the ride! But will that be enough with a dark terror stalking the halls? Rated T for blood and language.
1. The End of Summer

**So, here's year 2 of my Harry Potter series. I've started writing this while still trying to write my DDR chapter. I don't know why, but just trying to write it has been very hard. No because I don't know what to write, but because I don't feel like doing it, even though I want to write it. *sighs* I honestly don't understand how my mind works sometimes.**

**Anyways, I have just one announcement here. StereoxHearts is in need of a beta reader. Please contact them if you can or are interested in taking on the job.**

**Now, on to my story. I hope you all enjoy this.**

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, shape, or form, own Harry Potter. It is the property of J.K Rowling. All I own are my OC's, and the twists I throw into this fanfic.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<br>The End of Summer**

The sun shone down brightly through the sky, warming the countryside of Scotland. A figure took a deep breath, enjoying the summer air, his emerald eyes closed behind his glasses. He looked up as he heard the call of two birds of prey.

Harry Potter smiled as he held up his arms, his blue acolyte cloak opening as he did so. His smile widened as two birds landed, one to each arm. One was a red tail hawk, usually native to the Eastern United States. The other was a snowy white owl.

The young wizard and battle mage in training smiled at his two familiars. "Blaze, Hedwig. Have a nice flight?" He asked, as the y both moved to his shoulders. Hedwig affectionately nibbled at his hair, while Blaze seemed preened his chest feathers.

Harry chuckled, as he turned and headed towards a small forest. Inside, he found a small hill with a cave entrance. He slid inside, moving to a dead end. There, he placed a hand on the wall, closing his eyes and whispering something under his breath. The wall in front of him opened up, and he slipped through, his two familiar's wobbling a bit.

On the other side was a stone staircase heading down. Behind him, the wall closed, as he descended down the flight of stairs, emerging into the vast open halls of the Scottish Battle Mage Sanctuary.

It had only been a little over two months since he had returned home from his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Just yesterday had been his twelfth birthday, and besides the gifts from his family and his two friends from Hogwarts, Harry had also received a letter from Hogwarts, with a list of what items he would need for the new school year. Mostly, the list consisted of a series of books written by someone named Gilderoy Lockhart.

His younger brother Travis had also received his first letter, which had a longer list consisting of the entire Lockhart series, as well as the standard books for each class.

Harry smiled as his familiar's flew off to the Sanctuary's roosting tower, where messenger birds and other aviary familiars could enter and exit the Sanctuary. Harry arrived at the set of rooms that belonged to his adopted family, the Wallace's, who had taken him in eleven years ago. His parents had been killed by the Dark Lord Voldemort, a powerful and dark wizard. Harry had survived, and was destined to live with his muggle aunt and uncle, when Gareth Wallace had taken him from their doorstep and raised him amongst the Battle Mages.

As he entered, his adopted father Gareth looked up. "It's about time you got back. I was about to send a search party for you," he said jokingly.

Harry just smiled. "I was enjoying the morning. It's always so calm and quiet out there."

His dad just chuckled, and ruffled his adopted son's already untidy black hair. From another room came his wife, Marian Wallace. Her long red hair was pulled back in a braid today. She smiled fondly at Harry, as a small blur shot past her, and topped in front of Harry, revealing his younger brother Travis.

Travis grinned. "You're back! That means we can go get my Hogwarts stuff now, right?" He asked, looking back at his parents, than at Harry. After hearing all about Hogwarts, Travis had gotten really excited, since he was going to be attending too.

Marian smiled as she hugged him. "Of course, we can go now. I haven't seen you this excited since you learned you were actually going to begin practicing some of the spells your dad showed you."

Travis and Harry just both grinned, as Gareth chuckled. "Both of you were literally bouncing off the walls when your turns came," he commented, smiling as he slipped on his dark red cloak, the emblem of his rank of Master within the Battle Mages. Both Harry and Travis donned their own blue and brown cloaks as well. Marian donned her own red cloak, signifying her rank of Master as well.

The four of them quietly headed to one of the designated Floo rooms within the Sanctuary. While Harry had been away at Hogwarts, the sanctuary had undergone a few renovations involving some of the new magicks they had gained access too when they had formed an alliance with the Ministry of Magic. They had created a few rooms dedicated solely for the use of the Floo network, as well as expanded their herb garden and potion brewing rooms to include the new herbs and potion ingredients they were able to get from the Wizarding World. They had also added a new wing to the library to incorporate new books from the Wizarding World.

The Wallace family entered one of the Floo rooms. Marian stared at the flames. "So we just throw some powder in and say where we want to go?" She asked, looking at her family nervously. She was the only one who hadn't travelled like this before.

Gareth nodded, as Harry took some powder. "It's really easy. But you need to speak clearly, and be careful on exiting. It's a little bumpy."

Harry smiled reassuringly at his mom, and then threw the Floo powder into the flames. They roared an emerald green, and Harry stepped in, saying "Gringotts!"

He was swept away, his world becoming a maelstrom around him. After a few moments, he saw the grate that was his destination. He managed to land on his feet, but still stumbled out. A few seconds later, his brother followed, then his mother who almost fell, if not for Travis and Harry catching her. Gareth was the last to arrive, actually succeeding in simply walking out of the fireplace instead of stumbling.

Marian looked around, slightly in awe of what she was seeing. "So this is Gringotts?" She asked.

Gareth nodded. "Yes. It's run by the goblins who have agreed to work with the Ministry of Magic. So you know how safe anything stored here is." Many of the Mages Sanctuaries around the world had vaults protected by enchantments and locks crafted by their goblin members.

Marian smiled and nodded. "So, I'll change some money to buy Travis's things, while you go with Harry to get money from his vault?"

Gareth grinned. "And afterwards, we'll meet outside and give you the grand tour of Diagon Alley."

Marian smiled. "Can't wait," she said, as she headed to one of the many counter's where goblins were busy working, either examining gems or currency, or writing notes in ledgers.

Harry and Gareth, meanwhile, were escorted by a goblin attendant to one of the many carts used to transport customers to the thousands of vaults used to keep the money of Wizards.

About thirty minutes later, the family was in the sunlight, and Marian got her fist look at Diagon Alley. She blinked in surprise, staring at the multitude of shops that stood before them.

Gareth pulled out Travis's list. "Okay. First we should get him his wand. Then we'll cover both of their supplies. And I think it's only fair we let Travis get a familiar, since Harry has two."

Marian nodded, smiling. "Though we can save on some of the books Travis needs by giving him the ones Harry doesn't need."

Travis just grinned, as they went to Ollivander's for his wand.

The old wand maker was actually busy with another customer, who was talking to him about taking care of his wand when they entered. They quietly waited for him to get done, with Marian looking around and quietly asking Gareth questions.

Eventually, Ollivander came over, smiling. "Ahhhh, the Wallace family. It is good to see you again. I take it we are here for young Travis?"

Gareth nodded, as Ollivander began to measure Travis. "Well my boy, let's see if we can't find you a wand," he said, as he began pulling down boxes of wands for Travis to try.

It would take the young Battle Mage seven tries to find the wand that fit him. Ollivander smiled as he held up a box. "This wand is actually a new one I made only a few days ago. Oak, nine inches with a core of dragon heartstring. Very powerful, good for defensive spells and charms."

Travis took it, and felt a warm surge flow through him. He grinned a she spun the wand in hand, and flicked it, causing sparks to fly out.

Ollivander smiled as he watched. "I thought that wand would find a wielder in your hands," he said softly, as he took it, wrapped it up in its box, and handed it to them, in exchange for seven galleons.

They then went and bought his apothecary supplies and other potion making supplies. Afterwards, they got his school robes, during which Marian giggled and commented on how handsome Travis looked in them. Travis just grumbled while looking away.

After they exited Madame Malkin's, Gareth smiled at Travis. "Let's go get you a familiar, since that shop is closer," he said.

Travis grinned excitedly. "Cool! I can get an owl just like Harry!" Harry just smiled and ruffled his little brother's hair.

"You don't have to get an owl, you know. You can use Hedwig or Blaze. You should get something you actually like," he said. Travis just grinned, as they entered the shop.

The shop was full of hooting and meowing and other animal noises form dozens of different animals. The walls were lined with cages containing owls, cats, toads, and rats. Then there were other animals, some of which looked similar to normal animals, while others looked absolutely nothing like normal animals. There was a cage of purring and cooing fluff balls of different colors. A large bowl held giant orange snails leaving slightly glowing trails of ooze in their wake. By the window was a turtle with a gem encrusted shell.

Travis began looking around eagerly, hoping to find something just as cool as Hedwig and Blaze, Harry's snowy white owl and his Red Tail Hawk. But sadly, as he looked around, nothing seemed to be calling out to him. He had wanted to get an owl, but now as he looked at them, they just didn't seem as exciting as he thought. As he looked through all the animals, he felt the same with each. There just was something missing.

He was heading towards the back of the shop, when he stopped, seeing a small ball of reddish-orange fur. Curiously, he approached it. As he did, the ball uncurled, and the creature stood, yawning and stretching. Travis's eyes lit up, as he saw a young fox before him. Its eyes were closed as it began scratching one of its ears with its back paws, before opening its eyes. A pair of golden eyes looked up at Travis, before its long tail, tufted with white fur at the end, began to wag back and forth.

Travis grinned as he knelt down. "Hey there," he said softly. The fox slowly trotted over, sticking its little nose through the bars of its cage. Travis held a finger up, and it began to sniff it, before licking it. With a grin, Travis stood up, turning to his parents. "Mom! Dad! Over here!"

As they came over, the fox blinked at them, before its ears lowered and he began to whimper. Travis blinked before gently touching his nose and stroking it, whispering gently.

The owner came over as well, and blinked. "Well I've never seen him act like this around someone before. Usually he keeps away from customers, or growls at them. I've never seen him be friendly towards anyone."

Travis smiled at his parents. "Can we get him?" He asked excitedly.

Gareth and Marian looked at each other, before nodding. The owner shrugged and slowly opened the cage.

The fox seemed to blink, before slowly exiting, and looking at Travis. Travis smiled and held out his hand, causing the fox to sniff it again, before he licked it, tail wagging. Travis grinned, as he slowly picked the fox up. The fix squirmed a bit, before Travis placed him on his shoulders, where the young vulpine curled up, panting. "Does he have a name?" Travis asked.

The owner shook his head as he answered, "I never gave him one. I found him wandering the Alley a few weeks ago."

Travis smiled as he looked at the fox, taking in the color of its fur and its eyes. "Then I'll call him….Ghrian."(1)

With a nod, the owner gathered together some supplies for caring for the now named Ghrian. The Wallace's purchased the fox and supplies for ten galleons and five knuts.

Travis smiled as he scratched under Ghrian's chin, causing the small fox to purr contently. He looked up. "So all that's left is our school books, right?"

Gareth nodded. "Yep. So let's get those done, and head back home. I'm sure little Ghrian there will want to see his new home."

Almost as if he heard him, the small fox yipped, wagging his tail. Or it could have been at seeing a Crup. The magical canine, appearing to look like a Jack Russell Terrier with a forked tail, barked back, panting.

The Wallace family giggled, as they approached Flourish and Blotts, only to stop seeing a large crowd gathered there. The reason why became apparent when they saw a sign posted on the window:

_GILDEROY LOCKHART will be signing copies of his magical autobiography_

_MAGICAL ME_

_Today from 12:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M._

Harry slowly looked over the crowd, and noticed most of them were middle aged witches. "So…he's the author of most of the books on the list?"

Gareth nodded. "Apparently," he commented, noticing a picture beneath the sign. Like all pictures in the Wizarding World, it was moving. In this case, it was a rather handsome wizard with blonde flyaway hair smiling and winking at all the witches. Harry just stared.

"He looks more like a model than a wizard," he said, as they slowly got into the bookstore.

Inside, there was a line winding through the bookshelves, heading towards the back of the shop. Gareth just sighed quietly. "Let's just get the books we need and get out of here. If that's even possible," he muttered, as they tried to fight their way to where the school books were usually kept.

Unfortunately, the Gilderoy Lockhart books just happened to be near the back of the store, since that was where he was at. Harry had managed to work his way back there, and was gathering the books, when he heard a commotion, with a familiar voice.

He turned to see a somewhat tall and gangly redhead rubbing one of his feet and arguing with a man with a camera, who had apparently stepped on his foot.

"Watch where you're stepping!" Ron Weasley shouted at the photographer. The photographer growled back.

"This is for the Daily Prophet, you brat! You stand clear!" He shouted.

"Who cares!" Ron shot back.

Lockhart looked up at this, stopping in signing his name to another copy of _Magical Me_. His eyes, almost disinterested, looked over Ron and the photographer, before scanning the crowd. His eyes actually passed over Harry, before doing a double take when he saw the glasses and jet black hair. "Merlin, is that…..Harry Potter?" He asked, standing up.

Harry silently cursed as the crowd parted, leaving him in the open. He tried to backtrack into the crowd, only to be seized by Lockhart and dragged forward further into the spotlight. Lockhart began shaking his hand rapidly, smiling to the photographer for the Daily Prophet.

"Smile Harry. Together we're worth the front page," he said, as he kept shaking Harry's hand. Harry just growled, trying to yank his now sore and throbbing arm from the man's grip. When he succeeded, he tried to meld back into the crowd, only to be captured by Lockhart's hand on his shoulder.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I cannot believe what extraordinary moment this is! And it seems the perfect time to make an announcement I've wanted to make for some time now! You see, when young Harry here stepped into this shop, eager to buy a copy of _Magical Me_, he had no idea that he would be getting more than that! Harry, and his fellow students, will in fact be getting the real Magical Me! I will be taking the post of teacher in Hogwarts, teaching them Defense Against the Dark Arts this year!"

The crowd clapped and cheered at that, as Harry was given the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart. He grunted softly, as he waddled through the crowd, his movements made akward due to the pile of books in his arms. He found his family, all having bemused smiles. Even Ghrian seemed to have a vulpine like smile on his face.

Harry growled softly, as he placed the books inside the cauldron they had bought Travis. "You take these. I'll be getting my own books," he muttered, embarassed and aggravated at what Lockhart had done.

Gareth opened his mouth to speak, only to hear a ruckus behind them, followed by a couple of figures slamming into him. The Master Battle Mage stumbled, before turning to find a red haired man with glasses trying to pummel a blonde haired man whose face seemed permanently frozen in a sneer. Nearby, Harry saw Ron cheering the red haired man on, along with his twin older brothers, Fred and George. A somewhat short and plump red haired was yelling at the man to stop, while a small girl stood next to a cauldron, watching the whole thing with slight horror.

Gareth, meanwhile, growled as he moved to stop the situation. "That's enough!" He shouted, as he grabbed the back of the red haired man's collar, yanking him up into the air. Before the blonde man could move, Gareth had a foot on his chest, holding him down. "You two are grown men, and you're brawling in a bookstore! Have you no shame!"

The red haired man calmed down a bit, panting as he realized what was going on. He blushed in some embarassement. The blonde haired man simply sneered, clutching a battered Transfiguration book.

Gareth set the red haired man down, before removing his foot from the blonde. The blonde stood, dusting his robes, before shoving the book he held into the cauldron of the red haired girl. "Take it, girl. It's the best your father can afford," he sneered, before turning to leave.

Gareth sighed, looking to the other man, who was now being berated by his wife. The woman soon came over to Gareth. "I'm so sorry for that. You aren't hurt?"

Gareth shook himself off. "No, not at all, Mrs….?"

"Weasley. Molly Weasley," she said, as she turned to her husband. "And this is my husband, Arthur."

Arthur Weasley came over. "I am terribly sorry about that. Lucius Malfoy just really get's under my skin. Even though that's not an excuse," he hastily added, seeing the look in his wife's eyes.

Gareth nodded, smiling as he held out a hand. "It's not a problem. I'm Gareth Wallace. This is my wife Marian, and my son's, Travis and Harry."

Both the Weasley's eyes widened. "Harry? As in Harry Potter?" Arthur asked. Harry just quietly nodded, mentally cringing as he saw the man's eyes sweep over his forehead.

The small red haired girl's eyes widened, as she heard what her father said. Ginerva Weasley, Ginny if you didn't wish to be hexed, quickly looked at the boy who she had heard so much about. And instantly, she blushed in awe and slight embarrassment, as she tried to hide by standing perfectly still.

Molly Weasley beamed though, as she came over. "So you're Harry! Oh, I still remember what you did for my boy Ron last year! Thank you so much my dear!" She said, smiling as she hugged him. Harry just blinked, and smiled weakly.

"It was no problem, Mrs. Weasley," he said, as she let him go.

She just smiled at him. "Oh don't be so modest. I heard so many things about you from Fred and George and Percy! You really stirred things up, didn't you?" She asked, before looking to Marian and Gareth. "I've heard about you too, from Dumbledore. How you took him in and took care of him, instead of leaving him to live with his muggle relatives. I heard they are rather nasty people, actually," she said with a small frown.

Marian smiled. "It's the least we could do for him, considering what happened. And I couldn't be happier about it either."

Molly Weasley just nodded. "It's just good to hear he had a happy upbringing. Perhaps you and your family would care to have lunch with us?" She asked.

Gareth and Marian both nodded. "That would be lovely. We don't know many people from the Wizarding world beyond Harry's friends, Dumbledore, and a few people at the Ministry. It would be nice to make friends."

Ron just rolled his eyes as he muttered to himself, "Great. More ego stroking for the Boy Who Lived." He yelped as his little sister Ginny elbowed him, while dragging her cauldron behind her, unaware that it was carrying a dangerous piece of cargo. All she could do was stare at the legendary figure she had heard so much about.

_King's Cross Station, September 1__st_

The Wallace family strolled into the busy train station, which was teeming with muggles going about their business. Blaze and Hedwig, Harry's familiars, were perched in their cages, while Ghrian was currently residing in a traveling carrier with a small food and water dish attached.

Travis was trembling in excitement, as he remembered seeing Harry board the Hogwarts express last year. Now he would get to ride on it too! He grinned, as they approached the brick barriers between train platforms nine and ten.

Harry nodded to his family, before approaching one of the barriers. It was actual the hidden entrance to the platform that held the Hogwarts Express. One just had to approach it and you would phase through the wall.

Only this time that didn't happen. As Harry approached it, the front of his baggage car hit the brick wall and stopped. Harry blinked, and pushed, only for nothing to happen. He slowly walked to the wall, and touched it. It felt like solid brick.

He glanced at his mother and father, both of whom looked worried as well. They came over and touched the wall as well. "It's blocked? Why?" Marians asked.

Gareth looked around. "I don't know. But I don't like this either. You don't think it's _him_, do you?" He asked.

Harry knew who his father was referring to. Last year, Harry had come face to face with Voldemot, a Dark Wizard who had tried to kill Harry when he was only a year old. Voldemort had been terrorizing the Wizarding world, seeking to take it over. But he had mysteriously vanished when he faced Harry Potter, who had been the center of a prophecy that could lead to the Dark Wizard's downfall. Many had though he was dead, but as Harry had found it, he was still alive, in a sense. Harry had faced Voldemort in battle last year, when the Dark Lord had possessed the body of Quirrel, the previous DADA teacher.

Marian looked around fearfully. "If it is, then we should leave. Quickly."

Gareth nodded. "Agreed. We'll Floo to Hogsmeade or Hogwarts. C'mon you two, quickly!" He said, as they began to rush away.

All Harry could think was '_Well this is going to be an interesting year_'.

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><p><strong>Wow. Man I really tore through this, didn't I? At least writing it up. I think I actually start really fast when I write a new story, but slow down as time goes by. Guess we'll see.<strong>

**I hope you all enjoyed this start to the second year of my Battle Mage of Hogwarts, and do expect a few big changes this year! But like I said in the First Year, do not expect it to be completely different from canon.**

**1. That's Irish for Sun.**

**Please review!**


	2. Settling In

***In a 50's TV announcer voice* Welcome to a new chapter of Battle Mage of Hogwarts! Last time, our hero was trapped outside Platform 9 and 3/4****th****'s! Will he get to Hogwarts in time? Or will trouble arise? Of course not! Because he has sensible people with him this time! **

**DieHardHarryGinnyLeafRanger: Why are you talking like that?**

**Me: Because Nostalgia Critic's Star Trek month got me going on that. Check it out, unless you like the first, third, fifth, seventh, or ninth Star Trek movies. At which point don't.**

**On a side note, if any of you did notice in Year 1 I did not do the Sorting Hat song from the book. I took the movie route instead. The reason for that is simple. I have no creative juices for creating my own music and songs. As such, I wouldn't be able to create ones for years where we didn't hear the song, like second and third year. So, for all intents and purposes, the Sorting Hat never sings. Sorry to deny you all that pleasure. **

**One last note. My friend Nightmares Around Winter has a Harry Potter challenge fanfic for any author's interested. I'll be given you all the details at the end of this chapter. If you want more info, contact him if you're interested.**

**Now on to the next chapter!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does. I do however own the Battle Mages of this fanfic series and Ghrian, so don't touch them unless you have my permission! *sticks tongue out while dragging down lower right eyelid with finger*

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

**Settling In**

Harry sighed quietly, as he sat in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. The giant castle was quiet, something he wasn't used to. Course, when you had two hundred and eighty students and roughly twenty faculty members, there's bound to be noise.

Harry glanced up at the head table, where his parents were talking to a very old man with a long white beard and hair, and a stern looking female with black hair in a tight bun. Professor Albus Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, the headmaster of Hogwarts, and the head of Gryffindor and Transfiguration teacher respectively. They were discussing what had happened at Platform Nine and Three Quarters, trying to figure out what had been the cause of the entry portal being sealed. The Wallace's, with Harry in tow, had retreated to their Sanctuary, than had Floo'ed to Hogsmeade, where they walked up to the castle.

Next to Harry sat Travis, who was cradling Ghrian in his lap. The small fox was sleeping quietly, his black nose twitching occasionally. Travis was just gaping at the ceiling. He couldn't believe it was an actual ceiling, considering it was bewitched to show the sky. Currently it was darkening, almost completely black with night. Harry glanced at the entrance to the hall. The Hogwart's Express had probably pulled into the station, and soon the students would be coming in.

As if to confirm his thoughts, Professor Sprout, the Herbology Teacher and head of Hufflepuff house, came in with a smile. "The students are coming," she said.

Dumbledore nodded. "Mr. and Mrs. Wallace, rest assured I'll look into what happened personally. For now, you're welcome to stay for the Welcoming Feast if you like."

Marian looked at Gareth, who smiled. "Thank you for the kind offer, but we need to get back to the Sanctuary. I'm sure the Elders will want to hear more of what happened," he said, as they both bowed. They turned and gave their son's a hug goodbye, before heading off.

Professor McGonagall came down as well, stopping at the pair and looking at Travis. "Mr. Wallace, if you'll please accompany me. You'll need to join the other first year's students when they arrive," she said.

Travis nodded, as he gently stood placing Ghrian on his shoulders. The fox yawned a bit, blinked sleepily, and then settled back down, as Travis followed the Professor.

Harry sighed quietly as he remained in seat, tugging a bit on his school robes to adjust them. He gave a small glance towards the Head table; seeing almost all the familiar faces of his teachers there. Professor Flitwick, the dwarf like Charms teacher, who was happily chatting with Professor Spout. A rather large chair, the seat of the Groundskeeper Hagrid, was currently vacant. The giant of a man known as Reubeus Hagrid was probably gathering the First Years and taking them across the lake of Hogwarts by boat.

There were a few other teachers Harry didn't know, as they taught more advance classes available to Third Year students and above. Professor Sinistra, the Astronomy teacher, and Professor Binns, the ghostly teacher of History of Magic, were both absent as well.

That left two teachers. Gilderoy Lockhart, who was wearing deep blue robes and talking happily with Professor Snape, the sallow skin and greasy haired teacher of Potions and Head of Slytherin House. Harry was pleased to see Snape seemed rather frustrated and annoyed with Lockhart, as if wishing the man's mouth would seal shut and never open again.

Harry was not fond of Professor Snape at all. The man was a master of Potions, but he played favorites with his own house, never punishing them, while giving harsh punishments to other House students for the most miniscule of infractions. He seemed to have a personal vendetta against Harry, something the young Mage couldn't understand. He sighed and moved it to the back of his mind, as he heard the sound of footsteps outside the Hall.

The doors opened, and in began to stream the students of Hogwarts, all dressed in their school robes. They separated to their various House tables, slowly filling up most of the tables.

Harry scanned the crowds for his two friends, Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger. Undoubtedly they would have been worried that he wasn't on the train, and he wanted to relieve them of that worry as soon as possible.

He soon saw the bushy brown hair of his friend Hermione, and he stood up, waving. Almost in an instant, Hermione was in front of him, dragging Neville behind her. "Harry! It's so good to see you again!" She shouted, hugging him. Neville just grinned, holding his toad Trevor.

Harry smiled as he hugged Hermione. "It's good to see the both of you. You guys won't believe what happened at the train station," he said, sitting down and indicating the spots he had saved for them, and his little brother. Both of them sat down, as Harry told them about his little mishap at the train platform.

When he finished, Hermione immediately began going over every spell she could think of that could have done such a thing, while Neville just listened. Hermione was forced to quiet down though when McGonagall entered the Hall with the first years. Harry grinned at Travis, who looked nervous now. He was standing near a shy looking girl with black hair.

McGonagall grabbed the stool with the Sorting Hat, setting it down in front of the first years. "When I call your name, please step forward and place the hat on your head. When it has told you your house remove the hat and join your new house," she said, as she unrolled a parchment, and began calling names.

Harry watched the numbers slowly dwindle, as the students were sorted. The girl next to Travis stepped forward when the name 'Greengrass, Astoria' was called. She sat down on the stool, as the hat was set on her head. About twenty seconds later, it called out "SLYTHERIN", and she rushed to the table.

Harry watched the number of students dwindle, till McGonagall reached "Wallace, Travis". Travis slowly moved up, and slid the hat on. Almost instantly, the brim opened and it roared out "Gryffindor!"

Harry cheered excitedly as his brother came over, grinning happily as he sat down. He hugged him with one arm, as Neville and Hermione clapped.

Finally, Ginny Weasley stepped forward timidly. Soon she was sitting amongst the Gryffindor's, blushing since she was seated not too far from Harry.

Dumbledore smiled as he stood. "Welcome, one and all, to another year here at Hogwarts! It is my great pleasure to welcome back familiar faces, and to greet those new faces amongst us! Now I'm sure all of you are hungry, so I'll be brief. As some of you may already know, we are pleased to welcome Professor Gilderoy Lockhart as our new Defense Against Dark Art's teacher!"

There was a round of applause as the blonde wizard stood, though most of the clapping came from the witch's. Harry glanced at Hermione, only to blink as he saw her cheering and clapping with a slight blush on her face. He blinked, before shaking his head.

Dumbledore nodded as he clapped as well. "Now, on with the feast!" He said, as he sat back down. Almost instantly, the plates were full of food, and the students began to dig in. Harry smiled as he dug into a steak.

'_It's good to be back,_' he thought, eating happily.

Near him, Travis looked around, grinning as he took in the atmosphere. He thought it was the most exciting and incredible thing ever. He glanced over at one of his fellow First Years, Ginny. He noticed her glancing at Harry again. He grinned, knowing she had a crush on Harry. He went back to eating, thinking about how he could tease Harry about this.

After dessert was over, Dumbledore smiled and stood. "Well, now that we're all watered and fed, I'd like to make a couple of announcements. First off, our caretaker Mr. Filch has updated his list of banned items. The list can be found in his office. Secondly, all Care for Magical Creature classes has been postponed for a period of at least one month, due to injuries our Professor has sustained. And lastly, all First Year students should know that the forest on the grounds is forbidden. Do not enter unless accompanied by a teacher," his eyes twinkled, as he finished. "Now, I'm sure all of you are tired, so off to bed! Pleasant dreams!"

With that, the Prefects of each House began leading the First Years towards their House's. The rest of the students followed at their own pace, some stopping to talk to their friends amongst the other students.

Harry grinned at Hermione as the trio headed upstairs. "So Hermione, was that a blush I saw on your face when Dumbledore introduced Professor Lockhart?"

Hermione just glared at him. "Shut up Harry," she said, as she looked forward. Harry just grinned at Neville, who smiled back.

They soon arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady who guarded the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. Hermione nodded to it. "Wattlebird."

Harry and Neville blinked at each other, as they entered. "Wattlebird?" Harry mouthed, as they laughed. It was good to be home.

_The next morning_

The Great Hall was again full, as students ate breakfast and glanced over their schedules. Harry snickered as he saw Hermione's had little hearts around all the DADA classes on her schedule.

Neville grinned as he looked at his schedule. "We've got Herbology first today," he said excitedly. Which was understandable since Herbology was his best subject.

Harry smiled happily, and glanced at Travis, who was talking to a mousy haired boy waving a camera around. Harry blinked, as he remembered the boy's name; Colin Creevy. He was pointing to Harry occasionally, and Travis would nod or shrug.

Harry just turned back to his food, finishing up his breakfast. He groaned and stretched as he stood up. "I'll meet you guys at the Entrance Hall," he told his friends, who just nodded at him. He headed off back to the Gryffindor Tower to get his things.

After getting his bag, he was just about to leave when he was confronted by Ron Weasley. Harry sighed quietly, looking at the red head. "Can I help you?" he asked.

Ron just sneered. "Listen Potter. You may have my parents and the rest of my family fooled, but I know what you are. An attention seeking prat. You stay away from my little sister, you hear me? I'm not going to let her become one of your groupies."

Harry just blinked at him, before responding. "Ron, I honestly don't know what I've done to confirm the image you have of me in that thick head of yours. But I will say this. You do not control me, and unless your mom said otherwise, you don't control your sister. If she wants to hang out with me and my friends, I'm not going to stop her. It's her choice, not yours or mine. Now if you'll excuse me, I want to get to Herbology before the bell rings," he said, pushing Ron aside and heading off. Ron just seethed as he went to get his own things, vowing to show the school the real Harry Potter. At least in that deluded mind of his.

Harry grinned at Hermione and Neville as he joined them, and they headed out of the hall, and headed down to the Greenhouses on the lawn.

Several of their fellow Second Year Gryffindor students and some of the Second Year Hufflepuff students were already waiting when they arrived. Harry glanced across the lawn towards the towering Whomping Willow, which was currently still, not moving an inch. However, almost as soon as a bird came close, looking to land, the tree went into action. The branches began swinging madly at the bird, which let out panicked chirping and flew away.

Harry just grinned, remembering his own miniature Whomping Willow Neville had gotten him for Christmas last year. He had become quite adept at trimming it, and it almost seemed like the tree was becoming friendly. The last few times, the little branches hadn't been swinging as hard.

Eventually, the rest of the student's arrived. As the bell for class rang, Professor Sprout came out of one of the greenhouses. "Alright students! We'll be working in Greenhouse 3 today!"

The students grinned excitedly at each other. Greenhouse 3 held some of the more exotic and dangerous plants, which they hadn't been able to work with last year. They followed her into it, looking around.

The greenhouse had a trestle bench in the center of it, with dozens of purplish-green leaves sticking from the soil. There were also twenty-one earmuffs lying on a table.

Professor Sprout turned to them all. "We'll be working with Mandrakes today, repotting them. Who can tell me what the properties of Mandrakes are?"

Hermione's hand shot into the air, as did Neville and Harry. Professor Sprout smiled, pointing to Hermione.

Hermione eagerly answered. "Mandrakes are powerfully restoratives, used to cure people who have been cursed or transfigured, and return them to their original state."

"Excellent, ten points to Gryffindor. Now, we'll need to be extremely careful when working with Mandrakes. Can anyone tell me why?" She asked them. The same three hands shot up, and this time she pointed to Neville.

"The Mandrake emit's a cry that is fatal to all those who hear it," he said.

"Excellent, take another ten points," she said. "Thankfully, these Mandrake's are young, so they won't kill if you hear them. But they will knock you out. So put on these earmuffs," she said, pointing to the earmuffs. Everyone rushed over and grabbed a pair, as Professor Sprout continued. "When you put them on, make sure they completely cover your ears. I'll give you the signal to take them off. Before then, keep them on," she said. "Now please put them on."

Everyone nodded and slid them on, while Professor Sprout put on a pair of fluffy pink ones. Once everyone had them on, she grasped the leaves of one of the plants, and gave a hard yank.

Instead of roots, out popped a muddy, grubby looking baby that was bawling its head off, though they couldn't hear its voice. The skin was a mottled green grey, and it was waving its little fists and legs all over the place.

Professor Sprout grabbed a plant pot with fresh dirt, and with a good shove, buried the mandrake back into it. She dusted her hands, before signaling them to remove their earmuffs. Once they were off, she nodded to the rest of the trenches. "Now remember, these mandarakes can knock you out for several hours. So please keep your earmuffs on at all times. You'll find pots over there and compost in the sacks over there. No more than four to a tray of mandrakes. Also, watch out. The Venomous Tentacula is teething," she said, smacking a feeler belonging to a spiky dark red plant.

Harry, Hermione, and Neville moved to one tray, gathering pots and compost as they did. They were joined by a curly haired Hufflepuff, who grinned at them all. "Hi there. Justin Finch-Fletchley," he said, shaking Harry's hand. "You're Harry Potter, course everyone knows that. And you're Hermione Granger, top of the class. And you're Neville Longbottom! Weren't your parents-."

Neville stopped him before he could speak. "That's personal," he growled, suddenly looking very angry and dangerous. Justin's face fell, and he quieted down, causing Harry and Hermione to look at Neville in surprise.

After that, any conversation was impossible, as they had their earmuffs on, and were working. Unlike Professor Sprout though, they found themselves having a tougher time both removing the mandrakes from their pots and putting them into new ones. Harry grunted as he worked to get a fat one into a new pot, as it kept swinging its fists at him. He finally shoved it in, panting and grunting slightly, nursing a bruise on his arm where a wild swing had hit him.

After class, they trooped back to the castle to wash up, before heading to Transfiguration. There McGonagall got them working on transforming beetles into buttons. Harry smiled when he successfully did it, about two minutes after Hermione. By the end of class, they both had a handful of buttons, with Neville having a couple of his own.

"So what do you think Lockhart's class will be like?" Harry asked, as they ate lunch.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, only for Neville to answer first. "My Gran honestly thinks he's just a blowhard. She's read his books, and thinks they're all false."

Hermione glowered a bit at that. "Well I think he's brilliant. I've read all his books, and he seems to know what he's talking about," she said.

Harry sighed softly, knowing Hermione tended to be a bit blind when it came to books and authority figures, especially if they were handsome ones.

Hermione grumpily propped open one of Lockhart's books, _Voyage with Vampires_, and began to read while she ate. She was obviously a little steamed about Neville's comment, or Harry's lack of defense. Harry just chuckled as he began to eat, only to blink as a flash of light nearly blinded him. He blinked as he looked up to see a rather old fashion camera being held by an excitable mousy haired First Year Gryffindor.

"Hiya Harry!" The boy exclaimed excitedly. "I'm Colin Creevy, and I got sorted into Gryffindor last night! And I'm sorry to just take your picture like that, but I've been told so much about you, about how you defeated the Dark Lord and your scar," his eyes scanned Harry's forehead at that, "and I can't believe I'm meeting you! I've heard all about magic, and I couldn't believe I was a wizard. Neither could my dad, and he's a milkman, so I'm sending him home a whole bunch of pictures. And a boy in my dormitory said if I develop the pictures in a certain potion, they'll move! And well….I was hoping I could get a picture with you? And maybe you could….well….sign it?"

Harry just stared as the boy said all this really fast. He blinked, and was about to answer, when a drawling voice beat him to the punch. "Signed photographs? You're giving away signed photographs Potter?"

Draco Malfoy and his cronies strolled up towards the Gryffindor table, with Malfoy's ever present sneer visible from a mile away. "Everyone line up! Harry Potter is giving away signed photographs. Make sure to get one for the Weasley's, Potter. It'd probably be more valuable than their whole house," he sneered.

Harry sighed as he stood up. "Malfoy, you do realize that you're causing a disturbance in the Great Hall? Meaning in front of several teachers who, unlike you're _esteemed_ Head of House, are more than willing to deduct points and give you detention?"

Draco immediately began looking around. There were a couple of teacher's present. Professors Snape and Flitwick. Both of whom were coming over. Draco sneered, believing Snape could turn things in his favor, given the proper ammunition.

Indeed, Snape was the first to arrive. "Mr. Malfoy, what's going on here?" he asked, in his oily tone.

"Potter is giving away signed photographs, Professor Snape," he said, trying to sound innocent. Harry just sighed and braced himself for Snape's rebuttal.

The Potion Professor immediately turned to Harry, contempt in his eyes and voice. "I see. Seeking more fame, are we Potter? Just like your father. Being the Boy Who Lived and a Quidditch star isn't enough, you need to hand out signed photographs. Is tehre no end to your ego and your need to be the center of attention?"

Hermione was about to rise to Harry's defense, when Harry stopped her. He looked Snape directly in the eyes, as he spoke. "Professor, I'm afraid both you and Draco are highly mistaken. At no point did I ever say I was giving out signed photographs. Colin here simply wished to have his picture taken with me, and for me to possibly sign it, so he could send it to his muggle father. Beyond that, I had no intentions of signing any other photographs. However, I do take issue with you thinking I enjoy the fame of being the Boy Who Lived," he said, his voice suddenly growing cold. "Being the Boy Who Lived meant that my parents….my biological parents…..died defending me from Lord Voldemort."

Everyone let out a gasp or shudder at that, and Snape's eyes narrowed, as Harry continued. "I don't take pride or pleasure in being the Boy Who Lived. Because every time someone calls me that, it's a reminder of the fact that when I was only a year old, a mad man with delusions of grandeur killed my mother and father, and tried to kill me. I would gladly give up the title of Boy Who Lived if it meant I could have my mom and dad back."

With that, Harry gathered his things up. "Hermione, Neville, I'll see you at next class. Colin….maybe another time," he said, softly, as he left the Great Hall.

The entire Hall was completely silent, before low murmurs broke out amongst all the students. Several of them were glancing at Draco and Snape with barely hidden contempt or disgust. Draco just sneered and stormed away with cronies in tow, while Snape seemed frozen, staring at where Harry had been. He slowly blinked, before turning and leaving the Great Hall as well.

Harry was out on the grounds, trembling softly, before letting out an enraged yell. As he did, magic seemed to explode outward from him, causing the ground around him to rumble, the wind to pick up, and the entire area to thrum with energy. As quickly as it happened, it disappeared, and Harry slumped to the ground, panting. He was unaware of the small figure watching him.

Ginny Weasley had followed Harry out of the school, curious and shocked about what she had heard him say in the Great Hall. Now she stared at Harry in awe, seeing the power he had unleashed. When she saw his body trembling as he knelt on the grass, a small part of her mind began encouraging her to go out to him. But it was overridden by her shyness, as she stared at the boy she had a hero worshipping crush on.

Her desire to remain hidden was doubled when she saw another figure move towards Harry.

Harry didn't look up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He remained looking down, as Travis knelt next to his big brother. They were soon joined by blaze and Hedwig, who had somehow sensed their partner's magical outburst. Ghrian hopped out of Travis's school bag and began to rub against Harry as well.

After a few moments silence, Travis quietly spoke. "I'm sorry big brother. I never knew you felt that way."

Harry looked at Travis, before hugging him. "It's okay Travis. I…I miss my parents. But I'm so glad mom and dad picked me up and raised me. I may not have my biological family…but I still have a family I love and care for. And that's what matters to me," he said, holding his little brother close.

They stayed like that till the bell rang, and Harry grinned. "C'mon. We don't want to be late for class," he said. Travis nodded, as they headed inside. Behind them, Ginny followed, intrigued by what she had seen.

In Lockhart's Defense Against the Dark Arts class, the other Second Year Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students had gathered. Most were still talking about what had happened in the Great Hall during lunch, amazed at what Harry had said. Hermione and Neville both worriedly looked at the door, waiting for Harry to arrive.

When he did, the entire class quieted down. Harry blinked, before shrugging and joining Hermione and Neville.

Hermione looked at him worriedly. "Harry, you okay?" She asked.

Harry nodded softly, smiling. "I'm alright. Don't worry about it," he told them.

Any further conversation ended when Lockhart strolled in, a smile on his face. "Welcome students, to your first class of this year's Defense Against Dark Arts! I am, as you probably know, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Forces Defense League, and five time winner of the _Witch Weekly's _Most-Charming-Smile Award! Of course, I don't talk about that one. After all, I didn't defeat the Brandon Banshee by smiling at it."

When no one laughed at his joke, he continued. "I'm glad to see you all bought the complete set of my works. I thought we'd start the day off with a little surprise quiz to see how well you read all of them."

With that, he pulled out a stack of papers, and began passing them out. When he finished, he returned to the front of the class. "You have thirty minutes, starting…..now!"

Harry looked down at the quiz, and froze. The reason being was because every question, for three sides of paper, was questions all about Gilderoy Lockhart. And not even how he defeated dark creature's he had found during his travels. No, it was questions like, 'What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color', or 'What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition'. Harry almost felt physically ill as he realized that this year of Defense Against Dark Arts would be nothing but hero worship directed towards the man standing at the front of the class.

When the thirty minutes ended, Lockhart gathered up the tests, and began looking them over. "Well, it seems most of you need to re-read Year with the yeti, as I say my favorite color is lilac in that book. And I clearly state what my ideal birthday gift would be in Wanderings with Werewolves. However, Mrs. Hermione Granger received full marks! Where is she?"

Hermione slowly raised a trembling hand, blushing as Lockhart's gaze fell on her with a roguish smile.

"Well done!" He beamed at her. "Ten points to Gryffindor! Now on to business!"

He pulled out a covered cage from under his desk, and set it on top. "Now, I think all of you should be forewarned! My job is to arm you all to face the darkest and most terrible creatures known to wizard kind! You could be facing your worst fears in this room! But remain calm, for no harm shall befall you, so long as I'm here," he said, grasping the cover. "Please, don't make any sudden noises or movements. You might provoke them."

The entire class stared at the cage in rapt silence; with Harry actually beginning to think maybe Lockhart wasn't that bad. Until he unveiled what was in the cage.

Inside the cage were small humanoid creatures, about eight inches in height and electric blue. Each had pointed faces, small wings, and very shrill voices. As soon as the cover was removed, the volume of their voices increased, and they rocketed around the cage, rattling it.

Harry's face fell as near the front, Seamus Finnigan snorted out in laughter. "Cornish Pixies? They can't be dangerous."

"To the contrary, Mr. Finnigan! These are freshly caught Cornish Pixies! Tricky little blighters, they are," Lockhart said dramatically.

Harry just stared at Hermione; silently praying she would look just as disappointed and flabbergasted as he was. Sadly, he was mistaken, as Hermione was listening to Lockhart in rapt attention. He glanced at Neville, who was red in the face from not laughing.

Lockhart, sensing he was losing the class, reached for the cage door. "Right, well let's see how you handle them!"

The moment the lock came off the cage door, the pixies shot out, and chaos reigned throughout the class. Ron was grabbed by his ears, and yanked into the air along with a Ravenclaw student. Several smashed through a window of the class, while the rest began destroying everything they could get their hands on.

Almost the entire class dove for the safety of the underside of their desks, as the Ravenclaw girl screamed in fear as she was flung around the classroom by the pixies. Ron was dangling from a chandelier, vainly waving his wand at the pixies.

Lockhart rolled up his sleeves and held out his wand. "Come on then, round them up!" he said, waving his wand. "_Peskipiksi Pesternomi!_"

The spell did nothing except draw the attention of some of the pixies. One of whom grabbed Lockhart's wand and chucked it out the window. Lockhart paled and dove for cover under his own desk, only for it to collapse as Ron and the Ravenclaw girl fell on it.

Harry finally growled in annoyance. "Enough is enough!" With that he stood up, not drawing his want but raising his hand. He closed his eyes, and soon small sparks of lighting began to crackle over his hand, before shooting out as small sparks. Each spark hit a pixie, shocking it into unconsciousness. Soon the floor and desks were littered with unconscious pixies, as Harry closed his fist, ending the spell.

Slowly, the students came out one by one from under their desks, looking around at all the unconscious pixies. Lockhart quickly stood, dusting his robes. "Yes, well, good work there, Mr. Potter. Ummm, perhaps we should end class for the day," he said. Almost as soon as he was done speaking, the students rushed for the door.

Harry growled in anger as they walked away. "Can you believe that? What an utter moron!" He said, flexing the hand he had used for the spell. It was a new one he had been learning, meant to shock multiple small targets, or hit one large target with multiple electrical shocks. Unfortunately, he didn't have it down yet, and it still left his hand twitching and numb.

"He was just trying to give us some hands on experience," Hermione tried to weakly defend, only to stop as Harry turned to her.

"Hermione, not only did he have no clue what he was doing, he knowingly endangered all the students in his class. Ron and that Ravenclaw girl could have been seriously injured, if not killed. You really think he knows what he's doing?"

Hermione bit her lip, before lowering her head. "No. But he has to have some experience! Why else would they give him the job?" She asked.

Harry sighed, looking at her. "I'm just saying, they couldn't have found someone better? Someone who would be smart enough not to let wild pixie's loose in a class of second year students?"

Hermione bit her lip. "But what about his books?" She asked.

Neville joined in this time. "His books only tell us what he wrote them to tell us. Doesn't mean they're true Hermione. They're only as good as the author who wrote them. And considering what we just saw….Lockhart may not exactly be telling the truth,"

Hermione sighed, looking down. "…..maybe you all are right. I've been doing research on some of the stuff he's written, and some of it doesn't make sense at all," she said.

Harry gently patted her shoulder. "I'm sorry Hermione. I didn't mean to go and make a big deal about it. He just….something about him rubs me the wrong way." He smiled. "C'mon, I know what'll cheer you up. My dad got me a new book for my birthday, and I'll think you'll enjoy it. It's all about the history of ancient Egyptian mages!"

Hermione did grin at that, as they headed to the Gryffindor Common Room.

_Saturday morning_

Harry groaned and stretched a bit in the early morning light. It was nearly seven in the morning, with the sun peeking over the nearby mountains, starting to dispel the early morning fog that had hung low to the grounds. He and Travis had been awake since five thirty, training in both their sword and magic. Unlike Travis though, who was heading back inside to wash up and get breakfast, Harry had another destination.

Last night, Oliver Wood, the now Sixth Year Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, had approached each of the players on the team, telling them they would begin practicing tomorrow morning at seven. So, Harry now found himself trudging towards the Quidditch field, grabbing his scarlet robes from his school bag.

The first week had been a little hectic for Harry. Lockhart had seemed determined to gain Harry's favor, or at least gain favor being seen with him. As such, Harry had taken to hiding every time he saw Lockhart coming. Harder to shake had been Colin, at first. The boy had followed him everywhere, wanting pictures or to talk to him. By Thursday, Harry had finally talked to the boy, telling him what he was doing was a little annoying. Colin had seemed crestfallen, until Harry had explained he didn't mind talking to Colin or even maybe hanging out with him. He just didn't want Colin to be some crazed stalker or anything. To which Colin agreed, and tried to tone it down.

Harry had also noticed another stalker, one who had been a bit shyer than Colin had. She didn't follow him around or bug him all the time. Instead, Ginny Weasley had watched him a few times, as if trying to figure him out. When he would glance her way, she would quickly look away, blushing.

Harry sighed, figuring he would have to confront her about it too. For now though, he had training to worry about.

As he entered the locker room, he looked around at his fellow teammates. Oliver Wood, the Keeper, was the only one besides him that was truly awake. Fred and George Weasley, the Beaters, were puffy eyed and zombie like, while Alicia Spinnet was falling asleep against the wall behind her. Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson, her fellow Chasers were both yawning so much you'd think their mouths were permanently stuck open.

"Harry you're here! Good," Oliver said, setting up a board with a bunch of lines on it. "Alright team! We did great last year, winning the Quidditch Cup for the first time in several years! But that doesn't mean we can slack off and rest on our laurels! I've spent the summer devising new training programs and tactics that I think will really help us hold onto the Quidditch cup!" He tapped his wand against the board, and instantly the lines began to squiggle and wiggle across the board, while he droned on about what they were seeing. Almost as soon as he started talking, Alicia and Fred were dead asleep, with George looking like he might follow.

By the time Oliver finish his hour long explanation, involving three boards containing all his tactics and training, Harry and George were the only ones really awake. George stared at Oliver as he finished. "Oliver…..why couldn't you tell us all this yesterday when we were awake?" He asked, yawning. There were several tired grumbles.

Oliver just glared at them all. "Look, we've got to keep training, so we can be the best! You can bet the other teams will be working hard to get the Cup, especially the Slytherin team. They'll resort to any tactic to win it back, and we can't let that happen! Now let's get out there and train!" He grabbed his broom and rushed out, looking almost like some type of Berserker warrior as he carried his broom. The rest of the team followed out, most of them yawning and grumbling.

A few minutes in the air managed to finally wake up those who were still half asleep. Harry grinned as he raced Fred and George around the pitch, waving to Hermione, Neville, and Colin. Colin didn't have his camera with him this time, having run out of film and needing more from home.

However, their training came to a screeching halt when several figures walked onto the field, decked in the emerald of the Slytherin Quidditch team. Oliver growled as he shot down to confront them, with the rest of the team following.

"Flint! What are you doing here? This is our practice time!" Oliver shouted at the troll like captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, Marcus Flint.

Flint just shrugged, glancing around the field. "There's plenty of room for us all, Wood. Besides, we have a note here from Professor Snape." He pulled out a note, and began reading it. "_I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin Quidditch Team permission to train today, on account of their need to train their new Seeker._"

Oliver blinked. "You have a new Seeker?"

Flint just grinned, as Draco Malfoy stepped out from behind the rest of the team, smirking broadly. "Yes we do, Wood," Flint said. "His father made a generous contribution to the team." With that, he and the other Slytherin's held up their brooms, revealing them all to be the exact same type of broom. All of them were highly polished, with gold lettering on the handle that spelled out _Nimbus 2001_.

"The very latest model of broomsticks. Only came out last month. They outstrip the 2000 by a considerable amount. To say nothing of how badly they outperform even older brooms," Flint said, eyeing Harry's Nimbus 2000 and the Weasley's much older Cleansweep 5's.

Draco was smirking even more as Neville and Hermione came down. "What's going on?" Neville asked Harry.

"They were just admiring the new brooms my father got the team," Malfoy drawled at Neville. "I'm sure the Gryffindor team can get some too, if they auction off their brooms. Maybe a museum will bid for them." The entire Slytherin team began to laugh.

The Weasley twins both burned red with embarrassment. Most of the Weasley family got embarrassed and ashamed when it came to matters of money, since their father's job wasn't exactly a big one. Harry and the Wallace's had found out during their lunch with the Weasley's in Diagon Alley that Arthur Weasley worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, which was a very small branch of the Ministry of Magic.

Hermione glared at Draco. "At least the players of the Gryffindor team earned their spots with talent and skill. They didn't have to have their dad buy their way onto the team,"

Draco flushed angrily at that, glaring at Hermione. "No one asked for your opinion, you filthy little mudblood."

The reaction was almost instantaneous from most of those present. Flint had to all but tackle Fred and George, who had had launched themselves at Draco. But he didn't count on Neville, who instead of going for his wand, just reared back and slammed a harsh right haymaker into Draco's jaw. The Malfoy heir went crashing into the ground and skidding a couple of feet, as Neville panted, fist still outstretched. Everyone seemed frozen, before the Slytherin's gathered up the now unconscious Draco and rushed away.

A cheer went up from the Gryffindor team, as several of them slapped Neville on the back. Harry and Hermione both remained confused through. "Ummm….can someone please tell us what just happened?" Harry asked.

Oliver looked at them both. "I guess it's a good thing you don't know what that word means. Mudblood is a horrible term used to describe those who have muggle parents, but can use magic. People like Malfoy's family think they're better than everyone else, because their entire family is magical, and it always is. They look down on anyone who has muggles for one or both parents."

Harry and Hermione's eyes widened." So it's like calling someone a bastard child then?" Harry asked. Oliver nodded.

"It's really stupid though," Neville said, escaping from the Gryffindor team. "I mean, take a look at my family. It's been 'pure' blood for as long as my grandmother can remember, and I'm just barely average in class. And Hermione here is top of the class in practically everything. Most wizards and witch's now and days are half bloods anyways. If we didn't, the Wizarding world would have died off."

Harry just grinned. "What I can't believe is that you knocked Draco out. With one punch man! How did you do that?"

Neville blushed lightly. "oh well….ummm….see I told my grandmother about you, and how you trained and stuff, and she thought it might be a good idea if maybe I did something….well similar. So she's been having me….well….train. One of my Great Uncle's actually use to work as an instructor for a muggle sport, ummm…boxing I think it was, when he was younger. I never did ask why he was hiding in the muggle world. But anyways, he's actually teaching me and stuff."

Harry and Hermione just grinned. "Well it was awesome to see you stand up to Malfoy like that. Though you know you'll probably get detention for it."

Neville just sighed, as they headed back to the castle, the Quidditch practice canceled due to the events that had happened.

* * *

><p><strong>And here we go! The second chapter done!<strong>

**Now, before anyone starts asking about why I have Neville learning to box and stuff, let me answer that I don't honestly know. I just made it up off the top of my head to help support why I had Neville punch Draco and knock him out. Besides, you can't tell me it wasn't epic to see Neville lay Draco out with a punch.**

**Anyways, time to complete my ad for Nightmares. Here's the details he gave me about his challenge.**

Okay the story follows a young Native American/British character afflicted with lycthrope (werewolfism). In this time a whole new rise in fear of werewolves. So this young boy has to live with being the first American at Hogwarts and with being a werewolf at birth all the while trying to learn about his British mother and American father. But the character doesn't know it yet, but he's being targeted by a unknown evil. One who calls himself, the Son of He Who Should Not Be Named.

**So there you all are. If anyone's interest was piqued by this, please contact Nightmares Around Winter for more details or permission to start writing it.**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Expect a rather big change to happen next chapter though! What it is….well you'll have to wait and see.**


	3. A Change of Heart

**Alright then! Welcome to another exciting edition of Battle Mage of Hogwarts: Year 2!**

**So, just to give you all fair warning, a young kid who is going to get really humiliated in this chapter. Humiliated in a way that would be traumatic to a child that age. So…..yeah, that's going to happen here. I normally wouldn't do something like this, but it serves two major purposes. One of which will become apparent later in this chapter, and the second of which won't appear until Year 5 or 6.**

**Anyways, enough about that. On with the chapter!**

Disclaimer: The works of Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling. The Battle Mages belong to me.

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**A Change of Heart**

Despite his noble intentions, Neville's actions did cost him a full week of detentions, involving polishing trophies in the trophy room without the use of magic. However, McGonagall gave Neville a small smile as she gave him his detention, which was almost outright praise from the stern Transfiguration teacher. Draco Malfoy also received a week's worth of detentions helping Gilderoy Lockhart with his fan mail, for his use of such a disgusting and vulgar word.

Despite this early excitement, life began to settle into a normal routine of classes, homework, practice, and free times. Or at least, as normal as you can get in a magical castle full of witches and wizards in training.

Towards the beginning of October, Harry finally decided to do something about his shy observer. Ginny had continued her occasional observation of him, which mostly consisted of her watching him and then looking away when he looked up towards her. At least she wasn't stalking him through the halls like a fan girl from one of those Japanese comics.

It was the evening of the first Friday of October, when Harry entered the Common Room. He grinned as he saw Ginny sitting by a window, writing in a book. '_Probably a diary,_' he thought, as he approached her.

Ginny seemed really absorbed in her writing, as she didn't even look up when he approached her. He had to actually clear his throat to get her attention. But when she did look up, her brown eyes widened as her cheeks became a light pink. She immediately slammed the book close. "H-Harry? Did you want something?" She stuttered out.

Harry blinked, before shrugging. "Well….I wanted to talk to you," he said simply, as he sat down in the other chair sitting at the table. "I kind of have noticed you've been….watching me," he said, trying not to say the wrong thing and make her think he was freaked out.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what Ginny thought. '_Oh Merlin, he must think I'm a freak now!_' Ginny thought, looking down a bit.

Harry noticed. "I-I'm not upset or anything!" Harry said quickly. "I just wanted to know if there was anything you wanted to ask me or something," he said.

Ginny looked up at him, before shaking her head quickly. "N-No. Nothing really," she said quickly, suddenly wishing she could just disappear for the next hundred years.

Harry shrugged. "Okay then," he said, smiling softly. He stood up, as if to leave, but stopped. "You know….if you like; you could hang out with Hermione, Neville, and me. I just noticed you seem kind of lonely over here and stuff," he offered to her.

Ginny's blush went darker at that, as she stared up at him. '_Did he really just offer to let me hang out with him?_' Ginny shook her head slightly, before looking back up at him. "M-Maybe another time. I….I kind of want to get back to what I was doing," she said, too embarrassed to accept his offer.

Harry just smiled and nodded. "Alright. If you change your mind, feel free to join us whenever you want," he said, as he headed over to join his two friends.

Ginny watched him go, before letting out a long sigh, and opening her book again. She slowly began to write in it. "_Sorry Tom. But you'll never believe what just happened!_" She smiled as the ink disappeared and reappeared, forming different words.

"_What happened, Ginny?"_

The female Weasley began writing, smiling as she did. She loved her new diary.

Across the room, Travis sighed, as he finished up an essay for Potions class. Like Harry, he had been rather disappointed. Potions was a class he had been looking forward to, but that Professor Snape ruined it to a degree. He thought Harry might have been exaggerating, but now he knew how right his brother had been. His expectations for Defense Against Dark Arts had been let down quite a bit too, due to Lockhart. He had heard about what had happened during Harry's first class.

He smiled as Ghrian jumped up into the chair, and climbed up onto Travis's shoulders, curling up there. The little fox seemed to love curling up there when he could. Travis quietly scratched under the vulpine's chin, smiling as he did so.

So far to him, Hogwarts was almost exactly what he was expecting it to be. It was all so exciting to him. And he had made a friend in Colin Creevy, once the kid had calmed down a bit concerning Harry and Travis being his brother. Travis grinned at that. It was interesting to see his brother as a celebrity. Even if Harry didn't let it go to his head.

He reached into his bag, pulling out his Transfiguration text book to start on the homework for that class. If there was one other thing he didn't like about the school, besides the Potion and DADA classes, it was the homework. He shrugged, as he started on the questions, Ghrian lightly snoring on his shoulders.

As the month of October continued, the weather took a turn for the worse, with large rainstorms perpetually showering the school. The continued rain actually flooded the land a bit, causing it to rise over its banks, and forced Harry and Travis to run laps elsewhere.

This had also led to a number of colds to spring up amongst the staff and students of the school. Perhaps the worst of them was Argus Filch, the school Caretaker, who already made things miserable for the students. Now, with a stuffed up nose and head cold, he was making things even miserable for students who made the slightest mess or infraction of the rules.

Harry sincerely hoped he wouldn't have a run in with Filch, when he was coming in from a Quidditch practice, sopping wet and with a bit of mud on his shoes. He had managed to get rid of the mud, but he was still trailing water.

On his way towards the Gryffindor Common Room, he ran into the Gryffindor ghost, Sir Nicholas De Mimsy-Porpington. However, the school knew him as Nearly Headless Nick, due to the fact that when he had been living, he had been executed by decapitation with a blunt axe. This had led to his head still being attached by a shred of skin, which led to his head wobbling and nearly coming off if not held in place by a large ruffle he always wore around his neck.

Harry blinked as he approached the ghost, who was staring out a window and muttering softly. "Does not meet requirements, how absurd!" The ghost noble muttered, clenching a letter in his hands.

Harry blinked as he stopped near the ghost. "Nick, are you alright?" He asked, startling the ghost.

"Oh, Harry! I didn't notice you there. It's fine, nothing to worry about," he said, giving Harry a halfhearted smile. "I just…..well I thought I would apply to the Headless Hunt, but since I obviously don't meet their requirements," he said, his smile disappearing into a frown.

Harry blinked at him. "The Headless Hunt?" He asked, confused.

"It's a group of ghosts who no longer have their heads attached to their shoulders," Sir Nicholas explained. "Apparently I don't fit their qualifications. You would think the fact that my head is mostly unattached to my neck would be enough, but apparently not," he sighed in frustration.

Harry stood there a bit awkwardly, unsure of what to do or say. "Well….I'm sorry Nick. It sounds like you would have really liked being in the Hunt. If there was something I could do, I would do it," he said.

Sir Nicholas nodded sadly, before perking up a bit. "Well…..I…don't suppose you and your friends would mind doing me a small favor?" He asked, looking at Harry hopefully.

Harry just blinked. "What favor?"

_Gryffindor Common Room_

"A DeathDay party?" Neville asked incredulously, looking at Harry. After talking to Nearly Headless Nick, who had asked if he and his friends might come to his 500th Deathday party on Halloween night, he had headed to the Common Room. He nearly had a run in with Filch, but had managed to avoid him and get safely into the Common Room. Now in fresh dry clothes, he told Hermione, Neville and Travis about the favor Nick had asked him.

"You all don't have to come," Harry said. "I mean, I agreed to show up, hang out a bit, and then I can head back to feast. So you wouldn't even have to stay long if you don't want to."

"I think it would be fascinating! We might be the first living people to see a Deathday party! It would be such an incredible opportunity!" Hermione said eagerly, obviously excited at the prospect.

Travis shook his head. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline Harry. I've heard a lot about the Halloween Feast, and it seems a lot more interesting than a Deathday Party." Neville nodded his head, showing he was agreeing with Travis.

Harry shrugged. "It's alright guys. Just try and save us a seat and some food, okay?" He asked, smiling.

None of them noticed Ginny Weasley looking a bit pale, as she quietly wrote in her diary. Despite Harry's offer, she still hadn't joined their group to hang out. She still mostly kept to herself, writing in her diary. Ginny herself though was starting to think something was wrong. She was starting to have moments where she couldn't remember anything she had just been doing. And a couple nights ago, she had awoken in bed to find scratches on her hands, and feather's on her robes. The next morning, one of Hagrid's roosters had been found strangled to death. Ginny had been a little scared by that, but Tom had assured her that she was just jumping to conclusions when she had told him about what had happened.

Ginny sighed, as she finished writing and closed the book. She glanced wistfully towards Harry, but decided against going over. She felt like his offer was just him being nice, and he didn't actually want her to hang out with him. It had been a nice dream, but she was fooling herself. At least, that's what she told herself as she headed off to the First Year Girls room.

_Halloween Night, Hogwart's Dungeons_

Harry and Hermione were both regretting their choice to come to Nicholas's DeathDay Party. The dungeon was filled with hundreds of ghosts, floating through the air or hovering above the ground. A horrible sound like thousands of cats clawing a blackboard came from an orchestra made of up thirty ghosts playing violins and cellos. The food was all rotten and decayed, unfit for vermin to digest, let alone their stomachs. But the highlight had been when Peeves had decided to 'introduce' them to a ghost girl named Moaning Myrtle. She was the ghost of a Fourth Year Ravenclaw student, a squat girl with dark lanky hair and glasses. She constantly haunted the girls bathroom where she died, occasionally flooding the floor of the bathroom and the hall outside with her crying when someone or something teased her. Usually the work of Peeves.

After finally escaping from the pair, with Peeves pelting a retreating Myrtle with fungus covered peanuts, Harry looked at Hermione. "I think I've had enough here. How about you?"

Hermione nodded, as they saw Sir Nicholas mounting a stage to make a speech. The pair snuck out, their disappearance unnoticed as a group of headless ghosts riding ghost horses appeared through the wall.

Harry sighed as he leaned against a wall outside the dungeon. "Remind me to kick myself for that later," he said. Hermione just nodded, as they started to head towards the Great Hall.

They were just coming up to the ground floor, when Harry stopped. Hermione blinked at him. "Harry, what's wrong?"

Harry titled his head, holding up a finger. He thought he had heard a voice. He moved a few step forwards, and the voice became a bit clearer.

"…_..rip into it…so long."_

Harry looked at Hermione. "Can you hear that?" He asked her.

Hermione just blinked at him. "Hear what?"

Harry turned back to the wall, hearing the voice start to go up. "_….so hungry…..so long…..must hunt…must kill!_"

Harry looked up. "It's heading up! This way!" He ran off, before Hermione could question him. All she could do was follow.

Harry sprinted into the entrance hall, still trying to hear the voice. He lost it when he passed the Great Hall, the babble of the students inside drowning it out. Turning away from the entrance to the Great Hall, Harry ran up the stairs to the First Floor, Hermione panting as she followed him.

Once on the First Floor, Harry caught the sound again, moving away. He tried to follow it, with Hermione finally catching up to him. "Harry, what on earth is going on?" She asked.

Harry just ignored her, his blood turning to ice as he heard the voice become louder. Not because it was getting closer, but because whatever was making it was becoming louder. "_Blood….I smell blood…..I SMELL BLOOD!_"

Harry cursed and rushed headlong down the hall, wishing he had his sword on him. He turned a corner, only to slip in a large puddle of water, and fall onto his back. As he did, he came face to face with Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat. Only the cat wasn't standing or sitting there, or rushing off to get Filch. No, the scruffy furred fat was hanging by her tail from a torch bracket, completely stiff and motionless.

Harry backed away quickly, his eyes locked onto the cat. Hermione came around the corner, only to stop and nearly shriek at the sight of Mrs. Norris. Harry managed to get back to his feet, moving next to her.

Hermione's hands were at her mouth, which was wide open in shock. "Is…..is she dead?" She whispered.

Harry shook his head slowly. "No…..if she was, her legs would be limp…..look at them. They're stiff, sticking out…..it's like she…she's frozen or something….petrified."

Hermione's gaze slowly moved below the cat, before she gasped again. Harry looked down as well, seeing foot high words written in what looked an awful lot like blood.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED.  
>ENEMIES OF THE HEIR BEWARE!<p>

Harry stared at the words for a moment, before finally snapping to his sense. "Hermione, we need to get a teacher," he said. "Whatever did this could still be in the halls. We need to move."

Hermione didn't respond, just staring at the cat and the message, until Harry grabbed her shoulder. "Hermione!"

She snapped her head to him. "W-what?"

Harry began pulling her away. "We need to warn a teacher, tell them about this. C'mon!"

Hermione just nodded dumbly; as she began to move on her own, following Harry quickly back down towards the Great Hall.

The students were just finishing up their desserts, when a soaked Harry and a disturbed Hermione rushed in, and up to the Head Table. Professor Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Potter? Miss Granger? What is going on?" He asked calmly.

Harry was panting slightly, as he gestured behind him. "Professor….Mrs. Norris….I don't know what happened, but….something's attacked her, and left a message. Something about the Chamber of Secrets," he said.

Dumbledore's face hardened a bit, as he immediately stood up. "Students! May I have your attention please! An incident has come up. All students are to remain here in the Hall until I say otherwise. Severus, Gilderoy, Argus, Minerva, you'll come with me. Please lead the way, Mr. Potter."

Harry nodded, as he led the group of five faculty members back to the hallway where he had found Mrs. Norris. Hermione stayed behind, not saying anything when Neville began to ask her questions.

Almost as soon as they arrived, Filch let out a strangled yell, rushing over to his cat. "What's happened to her! Potter, you killed her!" He shouted, rounding on Harry, only to be restrained by Dumbledore's hand on his shoulder. Quietly, the Headmaster removed the frozen cat form the torch bracket.

"We need to examine her. Gilderoy, I believe your office is closest?" He asked. The blonde haired teacher nodded, as he quickly led them to his office. Dumbledore set the cat on Lockhart's desk and began to quietly examine the cat, as Lockhart began rattling off a bunch of different creatures he thought could have killed the cat in such a fashion. Filch was sobbing quietly, while McGonagall tried to comfort him. Snape though was watching Harry, who stood there a bit nervously.

Dumbledore finally straightened up, looking to Filch. "She's not dead, Argus. Merely petrified. Though I am unaware of what did it," he said.

Argus pointed at Harry. "Ask him! Him with all his strange powers and magic! I bet he did some spell that petrified her!"

Harry shook his head. "I didn't! I just found her like this! And this isn't a Battle Mage spell either! We can only manipulate the elements, not freeze or petrify or whatever," he said.

"I have to agree with Harry, Argus. Whatever this was, it was either a very powerful dark spell, or it was caused by some type of creature," Dumbledore said softly.

It was silent for a few moments, before Snape spoke up. "Headmaster, while I think we can agree that young Mr. Potter here isn't responsible for what happened to Mrs. Norris, I do think we should know why he wasn't at the Halloween feast, and why he was in the area of where Mrs. Norris was attacked." Snape glanced at Harry, who just simply stared back.

With all eyes focused on him, Harry answered. "I was attending the DeathDay Party of Sir Nicholas, the Gryffindor ghost. Hermione had accompanied me because she found the prospect of witnessing a DeathDay party exciting. However, we both quickly came to the conclusion that said party wasn't exactly enjoyable for the living. When we were able to politely excuse ourselves, we began making our way towards the great Hall to join the others in the feast. However…..on our way to the Ground Floor, I noticed something."

Here, Harry hesitated, wondering if he should say he heard a voice. Hermione hadn't been able to hear it at all, or so it seemed. Deciding the best truth at the moment was half the truth, he continued. "I noticed movement ahead of me. Something that wasn't a student or teacher. Curious, I followed it, and Hermione followed me. We ended up arriving at the area where Mrs. Norris was attacked, where I slipped in the puddle of water and fell. After we saw the cat and the message, we quickly ran to get all of you."

Snape was watching Harry, his face clearly showing that he didn't entirely believe him. With the exception of Filch, the others present seemed to accept his story. Dumbledore nodded. "Thank you for this information, Harry. Fortunately, Professor Sprout is growing Mandrakes, and once they've matured enough, we'll be able to cure Mrs. Norris. If you'll follow Professor McGonagall, she'll inform everyone to return to their Common Rooms."

McGonagall nodded, and escorted Harry back towards the great Hall. As they walked, Harry looked to the Head of his House. "Professor? What is the Chamber of Secrets?" He asked softly.

McGonagall looked at him, some surprise and hesitancy on her face. "I….I'm afraid I don't know that much, Mr. Potter. Just the rumors concerning it. I've heard it was something that Salazaar Slytherin created, a…'defense' for the school. Defense from what though, I do not know."

He nodded softly. "…..wasn't Slytherin afraid of those who were Muggleborn?" he asked quietly.

McGonagall looked at him again. "So the legends go. His argument that made him leave the school was concerning allowing Muggle born witches and wizards into Hogwarts."

Harry blinked at that, as he thought about it. '_If he was afraid of muggleborns…..and he created a Chamber that was supposed to be a defense of the school…..he couldn't…..could he?_'

Harry shook his head of those thoughts as they arrived in the Great Hall. Whatever was going on, it definitely looked like this year wasn't going to be normal, just like the last one.

_Great Hall, a few days later_

Rumors had begun to fly around the school about what had happened Halloween night. Nobody knew exactly what had occurred in that hallway. However, many of them had seen the message left on the wall of the hallway, despite Argus Filch's best attempts to remove it. And Filch's constant stalking of the halls, and even more erratic attempts at trying to punish students for the slightest 'infractions' had led to even more rumors.

Harry unfortunately found himself the subject of many of these rumors, considering the fact that he and Hermione were the ones who had found Mrs. Norris. This was why he was currently down by the lake, meditating with Neville and Hermione reading nearby.

Back in the Great Hall, it was study hall time. The students were allowed to just simply hang out in the Great Hall to study, or talk to each other about whatever.

Travis was quietly writing down notes on different Transfiguration spells. As he finished, he smiled, sealing his ink bottle up. As he did, he glanced up, looking towards the Slytherin table.

He noticed a girl with shoulder length black hair, who also appeared to be in his year group, sitting by herself over at the table. There was a noticeable gap between her and any of the other Slytherin students, making Travis believe that the girl was somewhat being ostracized by her house mates.

Feeling bad for her, Travis got up and walked over to her.

Astoria Greengrass sadly looked over towards some of the other kids in her year group, happily laughing and talking to each other. She didn't understand why they didn't seem to like her. Was it because her big sister acted differently from the way the other Slytherin's acted? Was it because she was shy? Silently, she looked back down at the book she was reading, wishing they would like her too.

"Hey there," came a voice behind her. She let out a squeak of surprise and turned around, finding herself face to face with a Gryffindor first year. She blinked in surprise as he smiled at her. "I noticed you were all alone over here. Would you like some company?" Travis asked.

She gaped in surprise, looking at him. She had thought students from different houses never mingled. Especially not with Slytherin House. She couldn't answer, as he looked at her in confusion.

Suddenly, a hand landed on Travis's shoulder. He looked up to see a couple of Slytherin 7th years, who were sneering down at him. "Hey, is this Gryffindor bothering you?" One of them asked, his tone showing he didn't care if Travis actually was. He was looking for someone to torture.

Astoria glanced at Travis, before glancing at some of the other Slytherin's, who were watching. She bit her lip, as she looked up and nodded. "Y-Yes. He is," she said quietly, hoping that maybe this could get her accepted by her House mates.

The one who held Travis's shoulder tightened his grip. "Well we'll have to deal with that, won't we Anders?"

The other one nodded, before blinking. "Hey Walter, isn't this brat the other battle Mage? You know, Potter's brother?"

Walter blinked, and then grinned. "You're right Anders. Oh I have a special treat for you," he said to Travis, who looked terrified.

The pair dragged Travis out of the Great Hall, with Astoria blinking as she saw Travis's terrified face. She felt guilty, and looked away as he disappeared out of the Hall. But at that moment, one of the other girls motioned to her. "Hey, why don't you come over and sit with us?" She asked, smiling.

Astoria looked up, some hope in her eyes, before moving down the table to join them.

Harry sighed quietly as he sat under a tree on the school grounds, watching the lake as it serenely lay there. Not even a ripple disturbed its surface. At least, until the Giant Squid within the lake briefly broke the surface with a tentacle. Harry smiled softly, enjoying the peace and quiet.

Unfortunately, said quiet was disturbed by a figure rushing over to him. "HARRY!" Colin yelled out, as he nearly tripped over a root.

Harry stood up as Colin came to a stop in front of him, panting. "Colin? What's going on?" He asked.

Colin pointed back to the school. "T-Travis….he's…in trouble!" Colin panted out.

Harry's eyes widened, before he rushed past Colin, sprinting up towards the school.

The Entrance Hall was a scene of confusion, as a crowd had gathered there. Some were laughing and jeering at what they saw, others just stood by, while a few were trying to push past some Slytherin's who were making sure no one interfered with their fun.

And what was their fun, exactly? Their fun was Travis Wallace, hung on a torch bracket and held in place by a sticking charm. However, this wasn't the worst of what happened to Travis. No, simply being hung from a torch bracket would be paradise. Travis's trousers had been yanked down around his ankles, exposing his white briefs he had been wearing for underwear. And around his neck had been hung a sign that read: 'I'm a Battle Mage and I wear underwear for little baby's'.

Travis had never felt so humiliated in all his life. His eyes were shut down as he looked down, tears falling from his eyes. The Slytherin's who had hung him up were still jeering and laughing at him, joined by several other students from the Slytherin House.

There was suddenly a growling noise, and through the crowd burst little Ghrian, his gold eyes blazing in anger. He jumped at one of the laughing Slytherin's and bit into his leg, clawing at him wildly with his blunt claws. The Slytherin boy in question, Anders, let out a yell of pain and began dancing on one foot as he tried to shake the fox kit off of him.

His friend Walter moved to try and help remove Ghrian, only to suddenly be tackled to the ground. He looked up just in time for a fist to slam into face, breaking his nose and knocking a few teeth loose.

Harry growled in anger as he slammed another punch into the downed Slytherin, before looking up, his green eyes burning with rage. Everyone backed up, suddenly deathly afraid of the raven haired boy, as he stood up. They could practically see an aura of magic around him, burning with the intense anger and rage he felt.

It was at that moment that the teacher's finally arrived. "What's going on here?" Professor McGonagall almost yelled out, only to stop when she saw Harry and Travis. She was soon joined by Dumbledore and Snape, who had a sneer on his face, until his eyes landed on Travis. He stopped cold, staring in some shock at the boy, before looking at Walter on the ground, and Anders, who was holding his bleeding leg.

Dumbledore immediately drew his wand, ending the charm on Travis. Harry caught his brother, and quickly pulled his pants back up, while glaring at Snape. However, Dumbledore drew his attention from the stunned Potion's Professor.

"Harry, please take your brother to Madame Pomfrey. McGonagall, escort these two boys there as well, but instruct Pomfrey that they are to be kept as far away from Mr. Wallace as possible. And that they are not to leave the Infirmary until I say so."

McGonagall nodded, as she grabbed the two boys and all but dragged them away. Harry wrapped an arm around his brother, almost as if he was trying to shield him from view, while slowly leading him away. He stopped though as he passed Snape, and gave him a quick glare.

"Are you happy now, with what your students did?" He asked coldly, before leading Travis away, with Ghrian following.

Dumbledore turned to the crowd, who were silent. "All of you are to disperse immediately! Return to your Common Rooms and stay there until dinner!"

The students quietly began to move away, stunned at what had happened. Dumbledore turned to the still stunned Snape. "Severus, we need to talk. Now."

Severus Snape just quietly nodded, as he followed the Headmaster to his office. Once there, Dumbledore turned to Snape, a cold anger and disappointment evident in his eyes. "I have been rather lenient with you, Severus, when it came to your favoritism. I know you had a hard time when you came here to school yourself, thanks to James Potter and his friends. I was hoping you would be able to eventually deal with your demons on your own, but I see now that was a mistake. You leniency and favoritism to your students is what allowed this to happen."

Snape just numbly nodded. "I…..I understand Headmaster," he whispered.

"I'm not sure you do, Severus. This isn't just simply a prank gone too far. What was done there could be utterly traumatizing to that boy. He is only eleven, Severus. And what's worse, he was mocked for being a Battle Mage as well. Do you realize the repercussions this could have with the Battle Mages, knowing that one of their own was mocked and traumatized here in our school?" Dumbledore asked, before sighing as he sat down. "We may have just lost a student, Severus, and the trust of his order, thanks to what happened today. We cannot let something like this happen again. You will deal with your House, Severus. Or I will find another to take your place as Head of the Slytherin House, and perhaps your position as Potion Master as well."

Snape just nodded dumbly. "I understand, Headmaster," he said quietly.

Dumbledore waved him away, dismissing him. Snape quickly left, retreating to his office. Once there, Snape slumped into his chair. The sight of Travis had shaken him deeply, dredging up the memories of his own time as a student in Hogwarts.

'_Have I let this happen? Have I allowed another student to suffer what I have suffered? I….I never thought something like this could happen,_' he thought quietly, looking at his desk.

Snape quietly looked away from his desk, and down at his hands. The reason why he favored his house over the others wasn't because he actually liked them better. Severus Snape had always felt Slytherin's were given the short end of the stick, considering how so many people considered the Slytherin House the house of bigots and dark magic users in the making. He had favored them in a distorted belief that it would compensate for the bigotry of others against Slytherin.

Now though, he wasn't so sure. The actions today were not the actions of students who were under the pressure and prejudice of others. They were the actions of bullies. He clenched his hands quietly, closing his eyes. Dumbledore was right. He needed to deal with this.

It wasn't even an hour later when Marian and Gareth Wallace stormed through the entrance of Hogwarts, and up to the Infirmary. The two Slytherin boys were kept at the far end, while Travis was near the entrance.

Almost as soon as she entered, Marian was hugging Travis, who was sobbing quietly as he hugged his mother. Gareth went to Harry, who was sitting by Travis's side. "Harry, how is he?" he asked quietly.

Harry shook his head. "Not good dad. He hasn't said a single word since it happened. All he's done is lay there in bed, sometimes crying, sometimes staring at the wall."

Gareth nodded softly, before glaring down the room at the two figures at the other end. Both of them flinched, as Gareth's gaze seemed to bore into their very souls.

They were spared when Dumbledore entered, and Gareth rounded on him. Before the Headmaster could speak, Gareth was almost in his face. "How the hell did this happen, Dumbledore? How?" He shouted.

Dumbledore shook his head. "It is an unfortunate incident, that was my own and my Potions Professor's doing. I'm sorry Gareth. I can promise you this won't happen again."

"A little late, don't you think? My son has been utterly humiliated in front of the entire school! He was made fun of for who and what he is! How do you intend to undo that damage!" Gareth shouted, as Marian hugged Travis a bit tighter.

Dumbledore seemed to become older as Gareth yelled. "I don't know Gareth. I honestly don't."

Gareth just glared. "Well I can assure you it won't happen again. We're taking Travis home, and you're not going to stop us. I have half a mind to take Harry as well!"

Dumbledore sighed softly. "I cannot stop you, Gareth. They are your children, and it is your choice. I just ask that you consider giving the school a second chance. I know that something like this won't happen again."

Gareth stared at him, before looking at the huddled form of his son. "I'll consider letting Travis return if he wishes to. But I warn you Dumbledore. One more incident like this, and there will be consequences," he said. "As for Harry…..I will let him decide if he wishes to stay or go."

Dumbledore nodded quietly. "I understand. I've had house elves gather Travis's belongings. They will bring them here, and whenever you're ready, you may leave. I am truly sorry this happened to your son," he said softly, as he backed away, before leaving.

Gareth silently came over and touched his son's shoulder. Travis slowly looked up, before whispering, "I wanna go home, dad."

Gareth nodded softly. "You will son. You will," he said, hugging him.

A few minutes later, they were outside Hogwarts, with Harry quietly hugging his little brother. "I'm so sorry Travis. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

Travis just nodded, as he hugged Harry. He slowly picked up Ghrian, and left with his parents, as Harry watched him go. When they were out of sight, Harry growled and smashed a fist into the entranceway. He stormed back inside, looking very murderous at the moment.

The school remained in a very somber mood for the rest of the day, until it was time for dinner. Slowly, the students filled the Great Hall, sitting at their seats. As the last student sat down, Dumbledore stood up. No longer did he seem to be the kind, grandfatherly figure. Now, he seemed to resemble the wizard who had drive fear into the hearts of Voldemort and his followers.

"Today, a tragedy struck our school. A young boy, eager to learn and to make friends, was humiliated, and traumatized by his peers. Those who should have guided and befriended him instead made things miserable. Now, he has left our numbers, and may never return." His blue eyes, now colder, scanned the Hall, focusing mostly on the Slytherin table. "I am ashamed that students of this school could be so cruel and heartless to one of their number. But I am ashamed of my own inability to prevent this from happening. I can assure you, that if such an action occurs again, it will be met with swift punishment."

He turned to Professor Snape, who was rather subdued. "Now, Professor Snape. I expect you to handle the punishment for those responsible for today's actions."

Snape nodded quietly, as he slowly stood up. He slowly fixed his gaze upon the seventy or so students who had been placed under his care. "…Anders Chesterfield, and Walter Burke. Step forward." He said quietly.

The two students in question moved forward, both healed from their wounds. Every head in the great Hall was turned to watch them. Most were glaring at them, but a few Slytherin's were smirking slightly to themselves.

As the two students in question reached the Head Table, Snape looked down at them. "You two will make a public apology to your fellow classmates, as well as the faculty of Hogwarts, for not only abusing a fellow classmate, but dishonoring this school," he said firmly, looking at them.

Both students blinked in surprise, before looking at each other. They blinked at Snape again, who glared at them. "Did you not here? Apologize!" Snape all but shouted.

But of them jumped a bit in fear, before slowly turning to the students. They both apologized quietly, before turning and apologizing to the staff.

Snape slowly looked up at the students, mostly focusing on his own. "What happened today can not solely be blamed on these two students. As the Head of Slytherin House, it is my job to keep the students of said House in order. I have failed in that job," he said as he looked over to where Harry sat. "I allowed my own biased beliefs, and experiences from when I was a student in these halls, cloud my judgment. Because of this…..a young boy suffered terribly. I will not allow this to happen again. Anders, Walter. After discussing with the Headmaster on this, it has been decided you two will be expelled from Hogwarts, and your wands snapped."

The students immediately began to protest, only to be silenced by Dumbledore glaring at them. Snape turned to the rest of the Slytherin House. "I know though, that today's incident was not the only wrong done. While no house is truly blameless of pranking and bullying members of other houses, these incidents have largely been instigated by members of my own house, due to my favoritism. That ends now. I'm sorry to those of my house who are innocent of any wrongdoing, but I must show that what happened today will no longer be tolerated. As of this moment, Slytherin House is disqualified from this year's Inter House Cup Competition. The Quidditch Team will be allowed to play their Quidditch Match's, but they will not be eligible to win the Quidditch Cup. Also, for the next two months, the entirety of the Slytherin House will spend each weekend either helping the faculty with various projects or upkeep for the castle and its grounds, or they will be in here, copying lines and doing homework."

There was an immediate uproar of protest from the Slytherin Students, only to be silenced by Dumbledore launching a purple firecracker from his wand. Snape looked to his students. "I know this is unfair to several of you, especially the first Year students. I am sorry. But this is so you all know that no longer will you have free reign in this school. From this day forward, I will hold each student of my house as accountable for their actions as I would a member of any house."

Snape then looked to Harry again. "…at this time…..I also wish to extend my deepest and most heartfelt apologies towards the Wallace family. I know nothing I can do can take back what happened, or truly make it right. I just hope that my actions can help make this school a better environment, in case Mr. Wallace wishes to return here."

Silently, Snape sat down, and Dumbledore retook the floor. "I wish to make it clear that I will not tolerate any other students or House acting in a way similar to what happened today. Hogwarts is supposed to be a place of learning and friendship. Where young students forge bonds of friendship that last a lifetime. Instead, the school has become divided due to old hatreds, bigotries, and prejudice that have been handed down through families. No more. We may be divided into four different Houses, but this is still one school! And I will see it united once more," he said.

Silence reigned over the entire Hall, as the Headmaster slowly sat back down, suddenly looking very old and tired. He waved his hand, and their dinner soon appeared.

A quiet murmur arose amongst the students as they began to eat in a subdued manner. Harry just quietly picked at his food, not feeling like eating.

He soon was interrupted by a presence behind him. "Mr. Potter…..may I please speak to you in private?"

Harry turned to see Snape standing behind him, watching Harry quietly. Harry's face hardened, but he stood and nodded. Snape quietly led him out of the Great Hall, and into the Entrance Hall.

Once out there, Harry did his best to still be respectful. "What did you want to talk to me about, sir?" He asked in forced politeness.

Snape let out a sigh, before looking up at him. "I wished to make a more personal apology for what happened today. And for what I have done the past year and this year so far," he said. "I have not told anyone this, but I…when I came to this school, I was bullied and harassed. I was in Slytherin, and I ended up being the subject of pranks and bullying from…from a rather popular Gryffindor. I…..I've always believed that Slytherin's were subject to more abuse and prejudice, because of the beliefs of Salazaar Slytherin, and the fact that…Voldemort…..was a Slytherin himself. Because of this belief, I turned a blind eye to the actions of the Slytherin students, believing them justified in what they do. But as we've seen….I was wrong. My actions encouraged them to in fact become the very people who tormented me. And now your brother has paid the price of it."

He looked Harry in the eyes. "I am sorry, Mr. Potter. I am sorry for what happened to your brother. I am sorry I didn't prevent it by controlling my students better. And I am also sorry. Last year, you jumped to conclusions about me, believing I was trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone. When you realized you were wrong, you apologized to me. In truth…..I too, have jumped to conclusions concerning you. I thought you were similar to your father, someone who was…..was rather arrogant in my opinion. However, I have done what you did. And like you did…..I too, am sorry, for judging you too quickly," he said, as he stood there.

Harry stared up at the man, who he had come to regard with contempt and dislike, and most recently a small sense of hatred. Yet he saw none of that man in the person before him. This man was subdued, almost lifeless. There was none of the cold contempt or arrogance or the sneering face he had associated with Severus Snape.

Harry took a deep breath, as he finally spoke. "I'm not sure if I can fully forgive you, Professor. What happened to my brother today is almost unforgiveable. But…if I didn't at least try... would not be much better than those who did torture my brother. I cannot guarantee that my father, mother, or brother will forgive you. And I cannot guarantee that I ever will. But I can at least try, so long as you prove your words to be true."

Snape looked at him, and nodded. "I understand, Mr. Potter, and accept that," he said, before his face softened a bit. "…..you are so much like your mother sometimes. I am sorry I couldn't see it before."

Harry blinked quietly. "You knew my mother?"

Snape nodded. "I did. For at time…..we were even friends. Sadly…I was not as good a friend to her as she was to me," he said quietly.

Harry watched him. "…..then perhaps you can tell me about her, sometime. For now though, I'm going to go back to my dinner." Harry started to walk away, before stopping, and looking over his shoulder. "…thank you, Professor Snape."

Snape watched the young boy go, before letting out a shuddering sigh. And as he did, he felt as if a weight had been partially lifted from his heart. He let out a small smile, as he walked off to his office.

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><p><strong>And cut!<strong>

**Okay. I know some people will probably be all over me for making Slytherin students and Snape so OoC here, but come on. The way most of the Slytherin's acted in the books and movies, you can't tell me a couple of them wouldn't have tried this, given a chance.**

**I'm sorry if the second half of this fanfic wasn't up to everyone's enjoyment or standards. This was the only way I could think of to turn Snape from the jerk we see into the awesome guy that was hinted at towards the end of Book 7. **

**Also, concerning the punishment Snape gave the Slytherin's. I know it's weird for him to have the Slytherin Quidditch Team still playing, even if they can't win the cup. But…..well I couldn't think of any idea on how to introduce Dobby and Harry except using the scene in the Infirmary after Harry get's his arm broken, then de-boned by Lockhart. So I'm using that scene.**

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, or at least parts of it. **

**Please review.**


	4. Bludgers, Mysteries, and House Elves

**I'm actually surprised how many people enjoyed the last chapter. I'm sure I was going to get some hate on what I did to Travis, and the sudden change in Snape. But I was proven wrong, and that makes me happy. **

**Welcome to another chapter of Battle Mage of Hogwarts, Year 2. I hope you all enjoy this one as much as you did the last one.**

**Before I get started, small ad here. Kyuubi16 wishes for it to be known that Dragonrider262 on Deviant Art has made several great pictures for his NarutoxW.I.T.C.H crossover, The Guardian Kitsune. So give them a peek if you're a Kyuubi16 fan.**

**Now onto the festivities!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. That is J.'s work.

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

**Bludgers, Mysteries, and **

**House Elves**

The week following Travis's humiliation and the Slytherin's punishment was definitely a rocky one for the school. The morning afterwards, numerous letters rained down upon the Slytherin table, as well as the Head Table. Several Howlers even arrived, all of whom were parents yelling at Snape and Dumbledore for 'unjust treatment' of their children. Most of these parents being the 'pureblood' nobles of the Wizarding World.

The worst though came on Friday, in the irate form of one Lucius Malfoy. The father of Draco Malfoy and member of the Hogwarts Board of Governors burst into Hogwarts, and strolled imperiously towards the Headmaster's office, only to be stopped by the large gargoyle statue that blocked the way. He pulled out his wand and began trying to get past via spell work, only for nothing to work.

"Open blast you!" He snarled, preparing to try and destroy the stone statue, only to be stopped by Professor McGonagall.

"Mr. Malfoy, what is the meaning of this?" She demanded. Lucius turned to her with a sneer.

"I have important business with the Headmaster. What is the password?" He snapped.

Minerva McGonagall crossed her arms and gave him a rather severe stare, which had cowed countless students into line. "Do you have an appointment?" She asked.

He just scoffed. "I'm on the Board of Governors! I do not need an appointment. Now you tell me the password, or I will destroy this statue," he snarled out.

McGonagall sighed and turned to the gargoyle. "Sherbet Lemon," she said. The statue actually seemed reluctant as it sprang to life and moved away, revealing the staircase. Lucius Malfoy strolled up the steps imperiously, as McGonagall shook her head.

In his office, Dumbledore tiredly crumpled another angry letter, and simple threw it into the fireplace of his office. Watching it burn, he couldn't help but feel old. He had let things with the Slytherin House slip out of control. Just like he had with Voldemort, just like he had with so many other things. He should have taken action. If he had, what had happened wouldn't have come to pass.

He looked up just as Lucius Malfoy stormed through the door and strolled arrogantly up to Dumbledore's desk. "Dumbledore, what is this nonsense I've heard, concerning the Slytherin House? How the entirety of the house is being punished for the actions of two students?" He snarled.

Dumbledore slowly steepled his fingers, glancing over them at the blonde haired man before him. "The actions of those two students were just one of many actions conducted by Slytherin Students over the years," he said quietly. "Those two Slytherin students humiliated and mentally abused a First Year student, because they believed they would be allowed to get away with it, thanks to the inaction of the Head of House. Professor Snape's punishment of the entire house helped to show that they would no longer be allowed to get away with such actions. While I know there are quite a few innocent students in that House, there are several who are far from innocent. This also serves as an example to the rest of the school."

Lucius snorted. "This is utter rot, Dumbledore. The Board of Governors will not stand for this!"

Dumbledore slowly stood. "The Board of Governors should also remember this, Lucius; I am Headmaster of this school. And the students are under my care, as well as that of the teachers. Not only that, but the boy who was the subject of humiliation and torment is part of an order of magic wielders who are not only a great ally, but could be a very deadly enemy to the magical world. These Battle Mages have existed long before witches and wizards did. If action was not taken, we risked alienating them. Something I truly doubt the Ministry of Magic would appreciate, considering what we can learn from them. However, do not believe that we are playing favorites here. If it had students from any other house performing such a horrible action against students from any other house, similar actions would have been taken."

Lucius snarled before turning away. "Be warned, Dumbledore. You have been given much leniency over the years, due to who you are. But there are those who will only tolerate your actions for so long." With that, he stormed out, as Dumbledore sighed quietly, sitting back down. He wearily looked at his office, exhausted

"I'm getting too old for this," he said, unwrapping a lemon drop and quietly sucking on it.

_Gryffindor Common Room_

Harry sat quietly in an armchair next to the fir, staring at nothing. The twelve year old Battle Mage was still angry and sad over the events concerning his brother a week earlier. He had written to Travis almost immediately afterwards, telling him what had happened to the Slytherin House. But the reply from his litter brother had sounded subdued.

The feeling in the Gryffindor House was subdued as well. The shock at what had happened to Travis, and Dumbledore's warning about this type of behavior towards others, had dampened many of the student's spirits. Even the Weasley twins had toned it down, at least temporarily. Most of their pranks now were just simple gags done around the Gryffindor Common Room, meant more to lighten the mood than anything else.

Beside Harry were Hermione and Neville, who quietly worked on their own little projects while glancing at Harry. Neville was writing a report for History of Magic, while Hermione was furiously reading a copy of _Hogwarts, A History_. She finally slammed the book shut, sighing. "Nothing!"

Harry glanced tiredly at Hermione. "What?" he asked, blinking.

Hermione sighed. "I've been pouring over this book for any reference to the Chamber of Secrets. And there is absolutely nothing concrete in here about it. They are just rumors and possible references to it."

Neville looked up at her from his report. "I guess what McGonagall told Harry is true. Nothing for certain is known about it, other than Salazar Slytherin was rumored to have made it."

Hermione tapped her chin in thought. "I could ask Professor Binns about it. He is the History of Magic Professor here. I bet he'd have some ideas on it."

Harry just shrugged, not really paying attention that much. The events with Travis had pushed it from his mind.

He had noticed, though, that Snape had been true to his word. Their first Potions class of the week, Snape had been quite different. He had written the instructions on the board, but then he had walked amongst them, and occasionally offered tips and advice to all the students. He had even offered hesitant praise to Hermione, who had made a practically perfect potion. It was so strange to see the man act like this, as he almost seemed unsure.

Draco Malfoy, though, had not been any different. He wasn't as loud now, but he was still arrogant as ever, blaming Harry for all of the Slytherin's troubles. Harry had just sent him such a hate filled glare that Draco had immediately shut up and turned away.

Ron had quieted down a bit too. He no longer seemed intent on attacking Harry and trying to get everyone else to see Harry as an attention seeking glory hog. But neither did he warm up to Harry. He still kept his distance, glaring every now and then.

Harry just sighed, as he looked at them. "You two want to go for a walk?" He asked. "I just need to get out of here."

The two of them looked at each other, and then nodded, standing up. Harry sighed as he led them out of the Tower.

Elsewhere in the castle, Astoria Greengrass hid behind a suit of armor as two Fifth Year Slytherin students passed by in the hall. She slowly peeked out.

The younger Greengrass sister was a mess. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, her clothes were ruffled, and her hair looked like it hadn't been combed in days. The poor girl sniffled a bit, trying not to break into tears again.

This past week had been an absolute disaster for her. After Snape had punished the entirety of the Slytherin house, word had spread amongst her fellow house mates how it had been her that Travis had been talking to. And how she had told the two older students Travis had been bothering her. In the minds of the Slytherin students, that translated to what happened being just as much her fault as it was the two expelled students.

Astoria was the pariah of her House now. If the others weren't ignoring her, they were making her life miserable. The only person she had was her sister, and Daphne could only protect her when she wasn't busy with her own classes.

Astoria turned to bolt down the hallway, only to run into someone and fall over. She whimpered, looking up, only to find herself looking at the head of her house, Professor Snape.

Severus Snape blinked in surprise at the small figure that had run into him. He gently held out a hand. "Are you alright?" he asked, only to notice her rough appearance and red, puffy eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked.

In that moment, the stress of everything that had happened to her just broke, and Astoria dissolved into tears, sobbing heavily. Snape's eyes widened, and he quickly helped her up, before ushering her away into his office, where he sat her down. She just continued to sob her heart out, as Snape awkwardly did his best to comfort her. He wasn't exactly good at it, having never done something like this before.

Eventually, young Astoria's sobs quieted down, before she finally whimpered out, "It's all my fault. It's my fault."

Snape blinked at her. "What?"

She looked up at him. "P-Professor…..t-that boy, Travis. He was…he was being nice to me. He came over and asked me if I wanted some company. B-Because I was all alone at my table. And then those two other boys came over and asked if he was bothering me and….and I thought if I said yes, the other girls in my year would like me. It's all my fault!" She yelled, breaking down again and sobbing.

Snape looked at her, not knowing at all what to do. He looked around the office, as if something would give him some inspiration, before he sighed and hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, as he tried to gather his thoughts. "You know….I…..I think you and I might share something similar," he said, as he knelt down. "You see…..when I was going to school here….I had a friend. She was a really great friend too. But then I did something horrible, and I lost her."

Astoria sniffled, looking at his blurred image through her watery eyes. Snape continued, hoping he was saying the right things. "I felt similar to the way you do now. She was my only real friend in the school, and because of one stupid thing I said, she didn't want to have anything to do with me anymore. And that hurt a lot. But eventually…..eventually….the pain goes away," he said, as he gently squeezed her shoulder. "I guess…..I'm trying to say is….you did make a mistake…..but you can learn from this. You can make sure you don't let something like this happen again."

She just sniffled, giving a small nod. Snape looked her over again. "Now….can I ask why you were hiding from those other students?" He asked.

She sniffled again, looking at her shoes. "Everyone in the house hates me," she whispered. "They blame me for the punishment you gave us."

Snape internally winced at that. He nodded. "I will speak to them immediately about it. While I may not be able to get them to talk to you or like you, I can get them to leave you alone," he said. When Astoria just nodded numbly, he decided to add a bit more. "And Astoria? If ever you need someone to talk to, my door is always open," he said.

Astoria looked up at him, before hugging him. Snape's eyes widened and he went rigid for a moment, before he slowly and awkwardly hugged her back.

Astoria just whimpered softly. "T-Thank you Professor Snape," she whispered.

Snape weakly smiled. "It's alright Miss Greengrass…it's not a problem," he said.

_Thursday_

Harry was rubbing his temples as he looked over the various notes Hermione had gathered. "So this is everything you found out from Professor Binns?" He asked, glancing at Hermione.

She nodded eagerly. "Yes it is! As well as what little I could find in books and such. Now, Professor McGonagall was right, in that Salazar Slytherin created the Chamber. According to rumors, that is. And a few books mentioned that he created this chamber as a 'defense of the school'. However, the people who mention this rumor believe that Salazar is referring to a defense against witches and wizards who are half blood or muggle born," she said. "It's been noted that Salazar was very mistrustful of those not of pureblood, bordering on paranoia."

Harry looked at her. "So in other words, he built this Chamber, and hid something in it to get rid of every student who wasn't at least half blooded?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes. However, no one knows what is in there. A few believe it to be some type of monster though. But who could possibly be the heir?"

Neville shrugged. "There's one obvious choice," he said, a bit darkly.

Hermione looked at him. "There's no way it could be Malfoy! He might be a horrible person, but I doubt he's the heir."

Harry shrugged. "There's something else to think about. This is happening this year. If the heir has been in the school for a while, why hasn't he or she struck before this year? Maybe the heir is someone who just now came to Hogwarts?"

Neville raised an eyebrow. "You mean a first year?"

Harry just sighed. "It's just a theory. Maybe it's not a first year that is the heir, but is a target. Or maybe it's not a student at all. We did just get a new teacher this year as well."

Hermione growled. "He may be an idiot, but I highly doubt Gilderoy Lockhart is the Heir of Slytherin!"

Harry sat back. "I'm just throwing out theories, alright? Don't snap my head off."

Hermione took a deep breath. "I know, I'm sorry."

Neville looked between them. "I think for now, we shouldn't make any assumptions, right guys? We don't have enough to go on here to make any accusations,"

Harry nodded. "He's right. For now, let's just hold onto the info we've got. If something comes up, we can look more into it."

Hermione agreed with them both. "So ummm….how is Travis?" she asked a bit hesitantly.

Harry glanced at her. "He's doing better. He actually sent me a letter this time. Apparently, he's asked dad to help train him in how to fight someone in unarmed combat."

Neville and Hermione both nodded. "That's good. I'm glad he seems to be feeling better," Hermione said softly.

Harry nodded. "Me too. I hope he comes back this year, but I can't blame him if he doesn't."

As the talk shifted towards other subjects, such as their homework, Harry's mind drifted a bit, as did his gaze. He slowly looked over the others in the room, before his eyes settled on Ginny. He blinked, before poking Neville. "Hey, is it just me, or does Ginny look a bit pale?" He asked.

Neville blinked. "Huh?" He looked past Harry at Ginny. "Really? I don't know," he said.

Hermione sighed. "I heard one of the other first years say she's shook up over Mrs. Norris. Apparently she's a great cat lover."

"Nobody told her about Mrs. Norris then," Harry joked quietly. The others chuckled, before going back to work. Harry dropped it from his mind, and began working on his homework too.

On the day of the Quidditch Match, the air was muggy, the sky was overcast, and the rumble of thunder echoed in the distance. Harry felt a tremor of apprehension, or anticipation go through him, as he entered the changing rooms.

Oliver grinned as he looked over the team as they finished changing. "Alright then! Listen up team! Slytherin may have better brooms then us, but last year, we proved we were the best, and took the Quidditch Cup! This year, let's show them again that it's the flier, and not the broom! Chasers, remember to keep your formations nice and tight. Fred, George, see if you can't unseat a couple of them. Harry, keep out of the way, and make sure you've got a good head start on Malfoy if you see the Snitch."

Everyone nodded, and Oliver grinned. "Then let's go!" He shouted.

The Gryffindor team streamed out onto the field amidst the roars of the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw students. The Slytherin's let their displeasure be known, though it was less than normal. Due to Professor Snape's punishment, Slytherin couldn't win the Quidditch Cup. However, they could at least knock Gryffindor down far enough, and allow another house a chance at winning it. And that would be satisfaction enough for them.

The two teams faced each other as Madame Hooch came out. She nodded to the captains of each team. "Shake hands Wood, Flint."

The two captains' shook hands, though it seemed like Flint was more intent on trying to crush Wood's hand then shake it. The two separated, and the teams mounted their brooms. With a blow of her whistle, Madame Hooch released the balls into the air. The two teams launched up after them.

Harry immediately shot up towards his normal position, which was high above the rest of the players. But as he did so, he heard the whistling of a Bludger moving at high speeds on his tail. He grunted in annoyance as he pulled back, going into an inverted dive, the Bludger still tight on his tail.

Harry wove in and out of the field of players, heading for one of the Weasley twins. Ahead of him, Fred angled in to intercept him, and he grinned, rolling under them, as they swung. The Bludger was sent flying, with Fred giving a triumphant grin. That grin faded though, when the Bludger seemed to boomerang around and follow Harry.

Harry blinked in surprise before turning tightly, managing to gain some distance as the Bludger wasn't able to follow the maneuver. It soon was catching up though, as Harry darted back the way he came, straight to Fred. Fred smacked the Bludger again, aiming at Marcus Flint. Again though, the Bludger shot back at Harry, who cursed as he push his broom to its maximum speed and shot up.

Hermione and Neville both blinked as they watched Harry. "What's going on with that Bludger? Why is it focusing on Harry?" Neville asked.

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know. But something is wrong, definitely wrong."

Harry nearly lost his glasses when he threw his broom into a barrel roll, the Bludger whizzing mere centimeters form his right ear as it shot past him. Harry went into another dive, trying to outrun the Bludger. He glanced left as George came up alongside him, then pulled back and backhanded the Bludger with his bat at Draco. Like before, the Bludger turned and aimed at Harry.

"Someone's tampered with it!" George shouted, trying to defend Harry. Harry just grunted as he used the few valuable seconds he had to scan for the Snitch. He was forced to duck though, as the Bludger aimed straight for his head.

As they passed the commentator's box, Harry heard Lee Jordon's voice. "And Gryffindor is falling behind, 60 to 20, as the Slytherin's Nimbus 2001's are really showing their stuff."

Harry grunted, looking at George. "Get out of here and help the others! I'll handle it!" He shouted.

George looked at him. "You're mental!"

Harry grinned. "Maybe I am," he said, before shooting away. The Bludger shot after him.

Harry went low to the field, the Bludger right on his tail, as he scanned the field. Whatever was going on with this Bludger, Harry was determined to make some good of it. He grinned when he saw the Slytherin Chasers start a play towards the Gryffindor goal posts. He banked right, heading on a head to head run with them.

The lead Chaser blinked in surprise as he saw Harry coming for him, before leaning in, determined not to flinch, and thus possibly remove Gryffindor's Seeker from the game. Unfortunately for him, this played right into Harry's plan. At the last second Harry rolled over him. The less agile Bludger, instead of rolling over the Chaser, smashed into his chest and shot him off his broom. He dropped the Quaffle as he fell, straight into Angelina's hands. She shot to the Slytherin's goal posts and managed to score.

"Amazing work by Seeker Potter, as he uses a Bludger to disrupt the Slytherin team's Chasers and allows Gryffindor to score! But that Bludger still seems to be on Potter's tail!" Lee Jordon shouted, as Harry pulled up hard, watching the Bludger shoot under him before arcing around and coming onto his tail again. Harry shot off into the sky, rapidly scanning for the Snitch.

His eyes widened when he finally saw the glint of gold, and shot towards it. He tried to remain focused on it, but his concentration was disrupted by the Bludger making an attack from the side. Harry barely managed to duck, but in that brief moment, the Snitch disappeared.

Harry pulled up, cursing himself for losing the Snitch, as he turned his focus back onto the Bludger. It was heading for him head on, so he flew at it, ducking at the last second. The less agile Bludger began a wide turn to get back onto him, as he scanned the ground. His heart stopped though when he saw Draco making a dive. He shot his eyes down, and saw the Snitch shooting towards the Gryffindor goal posts.

Harry made a frantic dive, praying he could get to the Snitch first. He was closer, but Draco was already in a dive, and his 2001 was faster. Harry leveled off and shot towards the Snitch, with Draco gaining fast on him.

It was in that moment, that Harry realized he had lost the Bludger. He frantically looked around, barely seeing it before it slammed into his left arm, breaking it. Harry let out a strangled yell of pain, his altitude dropping rapidly. He barely pulled back up in time, holding his broken arm to his chest as he struggled to get back on the Snitch's tail.

Draco smirked as he drew even with the struggling Harry. "Alright there scar head?" he taunted, before pushing his broom forward.

Harry glared in anger, before trying to push forward as well. He gritted his teeth through the pain, as he willed his broom to go faster. The gap between him and Draco was widening though.

It was then that the Bludger attacked again, aiming for Harry from behind. Harry heard it, and looked over his shoulder, spotting it rushing in at high speed. He looked at Draco ahead, and gave a pained smirk, before ducking.

The Bludger shot over him, and smashed straight into the tail of Draco's broom. The sudden impact sent his broom spinning with him clutching onto it for dear life, before slamming onto the stands. The broom and blonde haired Slytherin Seeker slumped to the ground.

Harry shot at the Snitch, closing in on it. Harry bit his lip, trying to get as close as possible, before he made a lunge with his good arm. He managed to grab it, before his broom dove beneath him. Harry yelled in pain as he grabbed with his left arm, barely pulling up enough so that his crash turned into a skid instead of a full on crash. Harry went rolling screaming more in pain as his left arm flopped around.

Madame Hooch blew her whistle to signal the end of the game. But the Bludger didn't stop, shooting at Harry while he lay on the ground. Harry's eyes widened, before he jerked his head left, the Bludger barely missing. It shot up and came down again, and Harry scooted back away from it. He released the Snitch from his hand as the Bludger came for a third pass, before raising his right hand. "_Fulgor Pessulus! (Lightning Bolt!)_"

Lightning shot from his hand, slamming into the Bludger and causing it to explode in mid air. Harry panted, before falling back, his world turning black from the exhaustion caused by pain and the magic used to fuel that spell.

When Harry awoke, he had no idea where he was. All he knew was he heard arguing.

"He should have been brought to me immediately! Why did you allow that buffoon to do this! It'll take hours to treat him now!" The first voice sounded like Madame Pomfrey.

"I'm sorry Madame Pomfrey, but we couldn't stop him in time. We were trying to get him up here to you, and he swooped down, saying he could fix it." And that voice sounded like Neville.

Harry let out a groan, trying to sit up. He felt off balance for some reason, like his left side was lighter than his right. He couldn't feel his arm either. He slowly opened his eyes, shutting them instantly. Everything was blurry, and the sudden light made his head ache.

Apparently though, he had caught the attention of those present, because he head the rapid sound of footsteps approaching. "Take it easy Mr. Potter," came the brisk voice of the school nurse. "You shouldn't be moving right now."

Harry just grunted. "W-what…what's going on?" he croaked out, his throat dry.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news," she said. Apparently, after you passed out, Mr. Longbottom and Miss Granger were bringing you here, when Professor Lockhart decided to try and fix your arm. His spell didn't go as planned.

Harry's eyes snapped opened, despite the lancing pain it sent to his brain. He looked to his left arm, blinking. "W-what do you mean?" He asked, looking at the blur that was Pomfrey.

She sighed quietly. "The spell he used removed the bones in your arm and hand," she said. "Not to worry, I can replace them. But it won't be quick, and it won't be pleasant."

Harry laid there, his face blank, before becoming angry. "How long?" He asked quietly.

"You'll have to stay overnight. But the process should be done before tomorrow morning. Your arm may be a little stiff, but simply stretch and use it lightly for a bit, and you'll be right as rain," she said, as she held up a glass. "Drink this. It won't be pleasant to drink, but you'll need to drink it all," she said.

Harry fumbled for the glass, and drank the liquid in it down. He gagged, but managed to swallow it all down. "W-what is that?" he gasped out.

"Skele-grow. It's a potion used to replace and strengthen bones," she said. "Now, your friends are here, and I'll allow them to visit you briefly. But you must rest!" She said, before leaving. Seconds afterwards, Hermione and Neville were with him.

"Harry, we're really sorry we couldn't stop Lockhart," Hermione said, as Neville nodded. "That idiot! He's nothing but good looks and hot air!" Hermione said, growling. "I can't believe I even had a crush on him!"

Neville and Harry blinked. "You had a crush on him?" Neville said. "I know you had something, but a full on crush?"

Hermione blushed. "Oh shut up," she said.

Harry just weakly chuckled. "I'm just glad you're over it," he said. "I'd hate to hear you defending him after him doing this to me."

Hermione nodded, before changing subjects. "What was going on with the Bludger though? It wouldn't stop chasing you, even after the game ended."

Harry shook his head, wincing as he started to feel needle like stabs in his arm. "I think someone enchanted that Bludger. But who could have done it?" He asked.

Neville shrugged. "Besides Draco and most of the Slytherin house?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head. "That's not possible. Even if they could get access to them, since they're locked in Madame Hooch's office, it would take a powerful spell to do it. I could only see a 7th year or above pulling it off."

Harry sighed. "Maybe it's just me? I seem to attract disasters like this all the time," he said. "Maybe it's the price for being 'The Boy Who Lived'." He said sarcastically, doing air quotes with his right hand.

His two friends laughed weakly at that. Harry chuckled as well, before sighing. "Could I ask you guys a favor though? Someone send a letter to my family; let them know I'm alright? Use blaze, he knows how to get back home."

Hermione nodded. "I'll do it. Anything I should or shouldn't say?" She asked.

Harry shook his head. "Nope. Just tell them not to worry. I'm fine and should be back to normal in no time."

She nodded. "Alright Harry," she said, before hugging him. "I'm just glad you're alright," she whispered, before letting go and heading off to do that.

Neville smiled. "I better go and let the team know you're okay. They were all ecstatic that you got the Snitch, but worried sick when they learned you broke your arm and were unconscious."

Harry nodded. "Thanks man," he said in a tired voice. "I could really use some sleep,"

Neville grinned. "Alright man. Get better soon," he said, as he left.

Harry just sighed, as he closed his eyes, trying to sleep. Despite the lancing pain in his left arm, he soon drifted away.

_That night_

It was late that night when Harry was disturbed from his sleep. The reason for it was two-fold. One was the stabbing pain in his arm, which didn't feel quite so limp and useless anymore. The other though, was for the small figure on the bed, quietly washing his brow with a washcloth.

He yelped, sitting up and grabbing for his glasses with his right hand. He slid them on, seeing the figure clearly now.

It had gotten off the bed, and was standing next to it, clutching a tea cozy that it had been wearing for a hat. It was also wearing a ragged pillow case like a tunic. It also had tennis ball sized eyes, floppy bat like ears, and a long pointy nose.

The strange being bowed, his nose almost touching the floor.

Harry blinked. "….who are you?" He asked.

The figure looked up, and spoke in a very loud squeaky voice. "Harry Potter sir! I am Dobby, a House Elf! It is an honor to meet you, good sir!"

Harry blinked. "House Elf?" He asked.

Dobby nodded. "Yes sir! Dobby takes care of my family sir." He said.

Harry looked at him. "Okay...so….why are you here?" He asked.

Dobby seemed to shuffle his feet a bit. "Dobby is here to see that Harry Potter sir is alright. That Dobby's Bludger didn't injure you too badly."

Harry's eyes widened. "Your Bludger? You mean you're the one that made that Bludger try to kill me? Why?" He nearly shouted.

Dobby cringed. "N-Not kill! Dobby would never want Harry Potter killed! Harry Potter is great hero, who defeated Dark Lord!" He squeaked out.

Harry calmed down. "Fine…..why then did you enchant that Bludger?" he asked as calmly as he could.

Dobby came closer. "To protect Harry Potter. Yes yes. Dobby didn't think you would come to Hogwarts when I blocked the barrier at Platform Nine and Three-quarters, but when Dobby heard you were here, I had to save you!"

Harry blinked. "Save me? Why are you trying to save me? And why injure me if you're trying to save me?"

"So you would be sent home! There is an evil plot here at Hogwarts, Dobby fears it's already begun!" He said. "Harry Potter sir must be saved. He is too good for the world to lose!"

Harry's eyes widened. "It's about the Chamber, isn't it?"

Dobby squirmed. "Please, do not ask Dobby about it sir! You must go! Go home and be safe!"

Harry shook his head. "Dobby, I can't! Besides needing to learn magic, I have friends here. If there's something dangerous going on, I need to be here to help them."

Dobby sniffled. "Harry Potter sir is worried about his friends. Harry Potter is truly noble. But you cannot stay! You will die if you do!"

Harry shook his head. "I can't leave Dobby. But you can maybe help me another way. What is this plot? What is going on?"

Dobby shook his head, covering his ears. "Dobby cannot say sir! Dobby can't! Dobby is sorry sir!" He said before disappearing.

Harry just stared at the empty space where the House Elf had been. Slowly, he sank back into his bed, sighing as he used his good hand to rub his forehead.

However, he was disturbed again by approaching footsteps. He looked up in time to see the door of the Infirmary open. Dumbledore, dressed in sleep wear, slowly entered, carrying the end of something. McGonagall, also dressed in sleepwear, followed with the other end of the object. They set it in a bed, before Dumbledore ordered McGonagall to get Madame Pomfrey.

Within minutes the school nurse had joined them. "What is it Albus?" She asked, before gasping as she saw.

"Another attack," Dumbledore whispered. "Minerva found him, but I think he was possibly attacked hours ago. He might have been coming to see Harry."

Harry froze and looked over. His eyes widened as he saw the frozen form of Colin Creevy, holding his camera up in front of his face, as if taking a picture. He trembled a bit, at the sight.

Dumbledore slowly pried the camera from the frozen boy's hands, before opening it. Smoke billowed from it, and the smell of burnt plastic reached Harry.

"Melted," Dumbledore said quietly. "Whatever did this was very powerful indeed. If not for the camera, I fear the boy would be a corpse."

"Albus…..it's really happened, hasn't it?" Minerva asked. "I mean….I heard the rumors, but….I didn't think it actually-."

"It did Minerva. Fifty years ago, the Chamber was opened. And now, it has been opened again. How, or who is doing it, I do not know. But I do know this. Until we can find out, and deal with it, all those here are in danger," he said quietly.

Harry trembled, taking off his glasses and laying back in bed. He stared up at the ceiling, his mind buzzing with thoughts. Apparently, this Chamber of Secrets did exist, and had been opened fifty years ago. And this House Elf, Dobby, knew it was going to happen. Harry closed his eyes, resolved to find out everything he could, before another attack happened.

'_Looks like death defying adventures might be a common theme for my school years,_' he thought as he drifted off to sleep again.

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><p><strong>And scene. Well, here's the newest chapter! Hope you all enjoyed.<strong>

**The part with Dobby feels a bit rushed, but honestly, Dobby doesn't have much to reveal. Most of his parts in the books consisted of him either beating himself up or bursting into tears because of Harry being all noble and kind. So, trim away that, and you get not a whole lot, beyond there being a plot against Harry, and it involving the Chamber of Secrets.**

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! And hang in tight for another exciting episode of Battle Mage of Hogwarts Year 2!**

**Please review, as compliments and constructive criticism make me feel warm and fluffy inside. However, flames, and people not actually giving helpful advice will probably be ignored, other than a thank you for adding to my review count.**


	5. Tis the Season to be Fearful

**Welcome to a new chapter of Battle Mage of Hogwarts!**

**I'm glad so many people approve, thus far, of the direction Snape is going in. I'm glad that I'm pulling it off, as I was a bit worried I wouldn't get it done successfully. But it's still too early to celebrate, isn't it?**

**Before I get started, I have an announcement to make. Ishiguro Ayumu here on fanfiction is searching for a beta for her naruto fanfics. If you're interested, please PM here about applying for the position.**

**So, without further ado, let's get this ball rolling!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It is property of J.K. Rowling. I do own the Battle Mages though, so back off. They're mine. *Growls*

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

**Tis the Season to be**

**Fearful**

Word of the attack on Colin Creevy spread through the school like wildfire. By the time Harry had emerged from from the Hospital wing, the entirety of the school knew what had happened. As Harry was walking to the Gryffindor Common Room, he noticed several groups of first year students from various houses were walking the halls, nervously looking around. Harry shook his head as he went to find Hermione and Neville.

He blinked as he bumped into them just as they were leaving the Gryffindor Tower. "Harry!" Hermione yelled, hugging him. "Your arm okay?" She asked, checking it.

He nodded. "It is. But I've got to talk to you guys. Last night, I had an unusual visitor," he said, before he began explaining everything that had happened last night with the house elf Dobby.

Neville blinked. "You're sure it was a house elf?" He asked. When Harry nodded, he looked down a bit in thought. "That's really strange. House elves don't normally do things like this by themselves. They usually do it by order of their master."

Hermione looked at him in surprise, and he shrugged. "My family has one. Kinda hard not to learn about them if you have one."

Harry nodded. "So is it possible this is all just some hoax? That someone is trying to get me to leave Hogwarts?" He asked.

Neville shook his head. "I'm not so sure. If it was just the barrier at the train station, I could believe it. But when you throw in the bludger he enchanted, and the fact that he knew about the Chamber of Secrets? I'm thinking maybe it's his owner who's behind whatever is happening here at Hogwarts."

Hermione nodded. "Then we need to find out who owns Dobby. How can we do that?" She asked.

Neville shrugged. "I'm not sure. I mean, there might be a registry of house elves and their owners, but it would be in the Ministry. And last I checked, none of us can exactly get there."

Harry tapped his chin in thought. "We can't. But I think I know of two people whose father already is in the Ministry." He grinned as he entered the Common Room.

In a corner were Fred and George, who were chuckling as they quietly whispered things back and forth. They stopped though when Harry joined them. "There he is, the man of the hour! Made one heck of a catch with a broken arm, and then destroyed a Bludger with lightning from his very hand!" George said loudly, clapping his hands, as did Fred. A few other grinned and joined in, while Harry waved it off.

"C'mon, it wasn't anything special. If anything it was a bad performance because I let that bludger hit me," he said, before turning to the twins. "Listen guys, I've got a small favor to ask."

They twins blinked. "Oh? What could we do for you?" Fred asked.

Harry leaned in a bit close. "Your dad works in the Ministry, right? I was wondering if he could find out if there is a house elf registry. And if so, if he could find out about a house elf named Dobby."

The twins blinked. "Why do you want to know about that?" George asked.

"It's for a personal project. Ask him if he could do that, but not if it will get him in trouble," Harry said quietly.

The twins nodded. "Alright Harry, but only because you made that spectacular catch yesterday."

"And helped us win the Quiddtich Cup last year."

"And because you've made things so interesting here."

Harry just grinned at the twins. "Thanks guys. I owe you one."

They just grinned as Harry joined Hermione and Neville. "And now we wait," he said a bit cheerfully.

Unfortunantely that cheerfulness wouldn't last long. The atmosphere at Hogwarts was growing tense amongst the student body. By the end of the week, the first years were barely leaving their Common Rooms, and when they did, it was only in packs of no less than four students. The older years didn't help much, as a roaring black market for protective amulets and talismans started up between students. They were trading everything from crystals to rotting new tails and onions.

For Harry though, he noticed that a few students had been keeping away from him. They would stop when they saw him and turn the other way, or do their best to leave quickly. It was only a few, but it was enough to make Harry wonder what was going on.

When he brought it up to Hermione and Neville, Hermione explained the problem. "There's a rumor going around that you might be the one doing this," she said. "It's a really stupid rumor, and only a few believe it, considering Colin was a friend of your brother Travis. But since you and me were the ones who found Mrs. Norris, and you have your….mage spells…..well they're drawing conclusions."

Harry sighed. "Well that's just great," he muttered. "I suppose next they'll be thinking I'm some sort of Dark Lord in training or something."

Neville clapped his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Don't worry. As long as nothing else happens, you'll be fine," he said.

Unfortunantely, things soon would get worse for Harry.

_Third Week of December_

Harry and company were heading down to the Great Hall. Earlier that day, an announcement bulletin had been left in the Entrance Hall about a Dueling Club. Harry and Neville had both thought it looked interesting, and Hermione decided to tag along.

There were a fair number of students present in the Great Hall, which had been cleared out save for one large stage set where the Head Table usually was.

Harry looked around. "So who do you think is teaching us?" He asked.

Neither Hermione nor Neville answered, as they were too busy looking at the two figures who walked onto the stage. "I think your answer just arrived," Neville said, sounding annoyed.

On stage Was Gilderoy Lockhart, smiling and waving to the students. Joining him was Snape, dressed in his customary black robes.

Harry groaned. "Just our luck, we get the idiot," he muttered, as Lockhart raised his hands for silence.

"Welcome, one and all! I'm so glad you all could join us here! Now Professor Dumbledore has allowed me to start this little club to teach you all how to duel. Just a little precaution in case you ever find yourself in need of defending yourselves, like I have on numerous occasions! And as you can see, Professor Snape has graciously agreed to join me in teaching you all. Don't worry, you'll still have your Potions teacher when we're done here."

Snape sent Lockhart a bit of a glare, before slowly moving into position at one end of the stage. Lockhart did the same. The two of them bowed to each other, before each took up what one could assume was a dueling stance. Lockhart shifted himself so his right side was facing more towards Snape, with his left hand in a fist at his waist, arm bent. He also was balancing on the ball of his right foot, with his wand in front of him like a sword.

Snape's stance was different. Instead, he had his left side facing towards Lockhart, legs spread a bit. His left arm was pointed straight out at Lockahrt, while his right arm was bent, holding the wand near his face and pointing at Lockhart as well (1).

"Now that we've taken our combat stances, we're ready to duel," Lockhart said, still smiling. "On the count of three, we'll both fire our first spells at each other."

As the crowd watched, Lockhart began to count. "1….2…..3," he said, as both wizards flicked their wands at each other. But only Snape said anything.

"_Experlliarmus!_" He yelled out. A flash of scarlet shot from his wand and slammed into Lockhart, sending the blonde wizard flying. His wand had shot in the opposite direction from him, clattering to the floor as he hit the wall and sank to the floor.

Several of the witches gasped in fear, while Hermione rolled her eyes at the sight. Harry grinned softly, as Snape slowly resumed his stance.

Lockhart slowly got up. "Yes. Well excellent use of the disarming spell, Professor Snape," he groaned, accepting his wand from Dean. "Thank you Mr. Thomas. Now, that was the Disarming Spell. I thought it prudent to let the students see it, though I must say it was obvious what you were planning," he said.

Harry shook his head. "Prat," he whispered, as Snape's face tightened. Lockhart didn't notice, as he turned to all the students. "Now, let's have you all pair up and try it out yourselves! Professor Snape, if you'd assist me in pairing the students up?"

The two teachers moved about the students present, pairing them all up. Hermione was paired with Neville, while Harry found himself facing Ginny Weasley. Harry was surprised to see the First Year Gryffindor there, and he smiled encouragingly at her. She blushed, which made it all the more noticeable to Harry that she looked rather pale, and had bags under her eyes.

Lockhart soon was on the stage again. "Now, on the count of three, I want you all to disarm your opponents. Disarm only!" He reinterated.

Harry nodded to Ginny. "Good luck." She just blushed and nodded shyly.

Lockhart began to count. "1…..2….3!" He shouted.

Harry swung his wand to fire at Ginny, only to find she was a bit faster. He felt himself get knocked back by the force of her spell, and his wand landed on the floor. Ginny's eyes were wide as she stared at Harry, a mixture of surprise and fear on her face.

Harry grunted as he got up. "Wow Ginny. That was pretty powerful," he said, grinning. Ginny just looked at her feet, very bashful.

Unfortunantely, Ginny seemed to be one of the few who had pulled the spell off. Hermione and Neville had somehow managed to do it at the same time, disarming each other. Draco Malfoy had pulled it off as well against Crabbe. But numerous other students were nursing injuries either from faulty spells or misaimed Disarming spells.

Lockhart moved amongst the crowd. "Ahhh. Well I must say I'm not entirely surprised at some of these results," he said, losing a bit of his bravado at seeing a few students injured. One of them even had a bit of a bloody nose. Nothing serious, thankfully."Perhaps we should teach you how to block enemy spells. If we could have a volunteer pair?" He asked.

When no one volunteered, Lockhart smiled. "Come come now. Let's have…..ah, Mr. Potter and…Mr. Malfoy!" He said, grinning.

Harry grunted softly as he walked up to the stage. Draco ascended the stairs on the opposite end, looking a bit smug. Harry just ignored it, as Lockhart joined him. "Now Harry, we're going to have you try and defend. When Mr. Malfoy attacks, I want you to do this," he said, trying to demonstrate some type of complex wiggling motion with his wand. All that happened was it flipped out of his hand.

An embarassed Lockhart went to pick up his wand, amidst some barely smothered laughter. Snape closed his eyes, as if asking some higher power to grant him patience. "Perhaps, Professor Lockhart, we should demonstrate basic blocking styles, instead of the more complex blocks?" He asked.

Lockhart nodded eagerly. "Of course! If you would please, Professor Snape."

Snape nodded curtly, before coming over to Harry. "Mr. Potter, when Mr. Malfoy fires the spell at you, you should block it like this. Channel your magic into your wand, and slash with the wand at where the spell is going to be. Much like you would parry with a sword," Snape said(2).

Harry nodded. "Thank you professor," he said.

Snape nodded as he moved behind Malfoy. Malfoy just sneered. "Get ready to lose, Potter," he said.

Harry just gripped his wand, settling into a stance. Malfoy did the same, as Lockhart prepared to count. However, by the time he reached two, Malfoy was already moving. "_Flipendo!_" he shouted.

Harry's eyes widened. Flipendo was a very basic spell, meant for pushing objects out of the way. It wasn't deadly unless the person hit by it was knocked into something that killed them, or the power behind the spell was immense. While in this instance it was far from dangerous, it was unexpected.

Harry, mostly on instinct born from countless hours training with his father and brother, parried the spell, causing it to smash into the wall behind Harry. He brought his wand around to counter attack. "_Expelliarmus!_" He shouted back.

The Disarming spell was barely blocked by Malfoy, who one could see he wasn't expecting Harry to block or counterattack as swiftly. Malfoy growled as he unleashed his next spell. "_Serpensortia!_"

A large black snake erupted form the end of Draco's wand, landing between him and Harry. Harry's eyes widened and he took a step back, as the snake reared up, flaring a hood and revealing it was a cobra.

Snape glared at Draco as he stepped forward. He was just about to vanish the snake when Lockahrt stepped forward. "Don't worry Harry, I'll handle this!" he said as he jabbed his wand at the snake.

Instead of vanishing, the snake was shot into the air with a bang. It hissed angrily as it sailed through the air, before crashing to the ground amidst the students. The cobra reared up, its eyes settling on Ginny, who began to back away, only to trip and fall.

Harry jumped off the stage, as he heard Ginny scream as the snake drew close. "_Get away from her!_" he yelled, even as he raised one hand and shouted. "_Vinculis Terra! (Bands of the Earth!)_"

The snake had actually paused when it heard Harry's shout, only to be enveloped by several small pillars form the ground that wrapped around it, pinning it to the ground. Harry moved to Ginny's side, holding out a hand. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Ginny looked up at him, trembling. Before she could answer, Ron rushed over. "Get away from her!" He shouted, glaring at Harry.

Harry blinked, but before he could respond, Hermione and Neville had grabbed him. "Harry we need to go," Neville said in a very serious sounding tone. Harry blinked as he saw everyone staring at him, before the two had dragged him away.

Harry blinked at his two friends. "What is going on here?" He demanded, as they pushed him into an empty classroom.

Hermione looked him in the eye. "What's going on is you're a Parselmouth," she said.

Harry blinked. "What?"

Neville stepped in. "Parselmouth. It means you can talk to snakes."

Harry just stared. "W-what are you talking about? Talk to snakes?"

Neville sighed. "Back there in the hall. When you rushed at the snake, you first said something that sounded like a snake hiss, and then you shouted out one of your Mage spells, I guess."

Harry shook his head. "No, I yelled at the snake to get away from Ginny. I heard myself say that."

Hermione nodded. "Yes, but you were the only one who did. The rest of the people in there, including us, heard you hiss at the snake."

Harry blinked. "O-okay, but what's the big deal about that? Why are you two looking like I just performed some type of Dark Magic?"

"Because as far as most people are concerned, being a Parselmouth is Dark Magic," Neville explained. "It's an ability associated with Dark Wizards. Voldemort was rumored to have it, Salazar Slytherin had it. It's why the Slytherin Emblem is a snake. Most people associate snakes with evil, and thus they believe those who can communicate with them are evil as well."

Harry bit his lip. "But you saw me stop that snake. Surely that has to count for something, right?"

Hermione shrugged. "You saw how Ron reacted, right? You honestly think with what's happened recently, people are going to focus on the fact that you stopped the snake? Right now, I wouldn't be surprised if rumors of you being Slytherin's heir are going to escalate."

Harry just groaned as he buried his face into his hands. "Damn," he whispered quietly.

As it turned out, Hermione's prediction was true. By the time the trio was heading down to the Great Hall for dinner, there was a multitude of people giving Harry looks, whispering behind his back, and edging away from him. Even a few of the younger and older Gryffindor students seemed on edge. After all, Colin Creevy had been a Gryffindor, and now many thought Ginny was next on his list.

Harry just closed his eyes, trying to ignore them all as he sat down to eat. Hermione and Neville sat on either side of him, as many people watched him. Even the teachers were glancing at him.

Neville grunted quietly. "I can't believe some of the Gryffindor's believe it. Gryffindor's are supposed to be true to each other," he said, glaring at a few of their housemates, who guiltliy looked away.

"It's because of Colin. If the rumors were right, I would attack my housemates as well," Harry said quietly. He began to pick at his food.

Hermione was about to respond, when Seamus came over and sat across from Harry. "Don't pay them any mind Harry," Seamus said. "Anyone with half a brain saw you stop that snake. Even if you're a Parselmouth, there's no way you're Dark," he said with a grin. A few other of the Gryffindors including the Weasley twins, came over to re-assure Harry that they were on his side.

Harry just smiled gratefullya t them, when Ron came storming into the Great Hall. "POTTER!" He yelled, running at Harry and grabbing him. "Where is she! Where is my sister?"

Harry ripped himself free from Ron's grasp. "What are you talking about?"

"My sister Potter! I knew you were going to attack her next and now she's gone! Where is she!" Ron shouted, as he reared back a fist to punch Harry, only to be stopped by McGonagall grabbing his arm.

"That is enough Mr. Weasley! What do you think you're doing?" She demanded.

Ron just glared at Harry. "I'm trying to find my sister! He's done something to her, just like he did to that cat and Colin!" He shouted. There were several whispers from students sitting around, with small nods of agreement.

McGonagall glared at Ron. "I cannot believe you would think that Mr. Potter would be responsible for these attacks. From what I heard, he rescued your sister earlier today."

Ron was about to retort, when Filch came rushing in. "Headmaster, there's been another attack!" He shouted.

Dumbledore stood to his feet, as the Great Hall erupted into an uproar. "Silence!" He shouted, launching a purple firecracker from his wand to silence them all, before turning to Filch.

Filch panted heavily. "Headmaster…..I was cleaning the second floor east corridor, when I found them! It's a second year student form Hufflepuff, Mr. Fletchley I think! He's been petrified! But its worse…..the ghost….Sir Nicholas….he was petrified too!"

The entire Hall sat there in stunned silence, as Dumbledore, turned to his staff. "Minerva, I want you to go with Severus and Argus, and retrieve Sir Nicholas and Mr. Fletchely. Bring them to the Hospital Wing. Mr. Weasley, I am giving you two nights detention for nearly starting a fight, and slandering a fellow student. Mr. Potter, may I speak with you please?" He asked.

Harry quietly joined him. "Harry, I do not believe you are responsible for these attacks. However, with what's happened today, things are getting out of hand. I think we might need to call upon your father and the Mages for help. Can you ask them to arrange a meeting with me during Christmas Break?"

Harry just nodded. "I can do that sir. Thank you," he said, at Dumbledore's admission of not thinking he was the culprit.

Dumbledore nodded. "Thank you Harry. I promise we'll get to the bottom of this and stop these rumors that are forming."

Harry just nodded as he turned and began to walk back to Hermione and Neville. He sat down and quietly began eating, as many worried voices began hurried conversations on what had just happened.

Hermione glanced around. "Well, that should take care of the rumors. After all, you've been up in the Common Room since the Duel Club, and then you were with us heading to dinner here."

Harry snorted. "Yeah. And all it took was another student and a ghost getting attacked," he said. "But what in Merlin's name could possibly petrify a Ghost? That's what worries me. Whatever is doing this must really be powerful," he said, as he ate. All around them, the Great Hall buzzed with people throwing around different rumors.

_Platform Nine and Three Quarters_

It had been four days since the double attack on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick. There had been a stampede of students signing up to escape Hogwarts for Christmas Break. Harry had done so earlier than others, as he wished to consult his dad about what was happening, as well as see his little brother. Both Neville and Hermione had decided to remain at Hogwarts, to keep an eye on things and send Harry new information.

Harry sighed as he stepped off the train, setting down Blaze and Hedwig's cages as he helped one of the baggage workers unload his trunk. He looked up in time to see his family approaching. He smiled, hugging Travis, who was the first to reach him.

"Missed you little brother," he said, grinning.

"Missed you big brother," Travis said back, smiling.

Marian hugged her surrogate/adopted son happily. "I was so worried about you, especially after we learned about that last attack! Are you alright?"

Harry nodded. "For the most part. Had a little trouble earlier that day." He explained to them what had happened during the Dueling Club.

"So what you're saying is, you apparently have a magical ability to talk to snakes, which is most commonly connected to Dark Wizards?" Gareth asked, making sure he understood what Harry had told them here.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. I think it actually made people think I was the one doing the attacks. Some of them probably still do," he said softly. "But that last attack put doubts on the rumors. A good majority of the Gryffindor's had seen me all day after the incident in the Dueling Club, which was also the last place where anyone had seen Justin. And a lot of people thought Ginny was my target. Since it was Justin and Sir Nicholas the ghost who were attacked, it made it seem less likely that I was the one who did it."

Gareth nodded as they walked back to the car, carrying Harry's things. "That does make sense. I've already been going through the Mage's archives to see if there is any spell or creature known to us that could petrify a ghost. So far, nothing."

Harry nodded quietly. "Professor Dumbledore was hoping to arrange a meeting over Christmas Break. He feels that perhaps the Battle Mages can help," he said.

Gareth nodded. "I'll talk to the Elders. I'm sure at least one of them will wish to speak to Dumbledore. This is a serious matter, and it must be dealt with quickly."

"Agreed. Whatever this thing is, it's attacking muggleborns or those connected to them," Harry said. "According to rumors I've heard, Mr. Filch is a type of wizard who has almost no magical capabilities, making him almost like a muggle. Hence why his cat was attacked. Colin Creevy and Justin were both born to muggle parents. I'm guessing Sir Nicholas was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. If this trend keeps up, my friend Hermione's life is in danger too," he said.

Gareth patted him on the shoulder. "We'll take care of this Harry. Don't you worry."

Harry smiled and nodded, as he got into the car. He grinned at Travis. "Have fun here at home?" He asked.

Travis nodded quietly. "I did," he said softly. "Mom and dad talked about hiring me a tutor. Until I was ready to return to Hogwarts," he said quietly.

Harry sighed softly. "I'm sure we can work something out with professor Dumbledore and the others."

Travis nodded. "I have though…..about going back. I'm not sure that I want to hide from this problem. But then I remember what happened, and I…..I….."

Harry placed a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to tell me little brother. I understand," he said, grinning at him encouragingly.

Travis just nodded, as their parents drove them home.

_Three Days before Christmas_

Dumbledore sighed quietly as he sat in his office, staring out the window at the falling snow outside. In the distance he could see Hagrid, bundled up as he hauled a rather large pine tree towards the castle.

Dumbledore turned his attention from the window to the fireplace, as the flames went from their normal yellow orange color to green. A few seconds later, two figures appeared, one after the other. The first was immediately recognizable as Gareth. The second was a much older man dressed in a pure white robe and cloak.

Dumbledore arose. "Gareth, it is good to see you again," he said, before turning to the older man. "I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts."

The man nodded. "I am Elder Conner, of the United Kingdom Sanctuary."

Dumbledore indicated the two chairs set up in front of his desk. "Please, sit. We have much to discuss."

The three Mages sat down. "Before we begin, Dumbledore, I must ask a favor. Travis has expressed a desire to return to Hogwarts. However, he doesn't feel…..ready…..to return yet. I was hoping to arrange for a tutor, to help finish up his teaching for his first year," Gareth said.

Dumbledore nodded. "I will contact a few people who should fit the bill," he said. "Now, to business. As I'm sure you're both aware of, tragedy has struck Hogwarts. Two students, the pet of our caretaker, and a school ghost have all been petrified by some unknown person or creature. We do not know who is doing this, or what, other than they are called the Heir of Slytherin. However, this is not the first time this has happened."

Gareth gripped the armrests of his chair. "This Chamber was opened before?" He asked.

Dumbledore gave a quiet nod. "Yes. Fifty years ago, the heir of Slytherin opened the Chamber of Secrets. There was a series of attacks, similar to the ones we've had thus far. Eventually, one girl was killed. Shortly thereafter, the supposed heir was found by a Fifth Year Slytherin, Tom Marvolo Riddle. The heir was expelled from this school, and the attacks ceased. Though none of that was made public. The former Headmaster swept everything under the rug. Apparently though, we were wrong in who we believed the culprit to be. We were unable to gather any information on what exactly was causing the attacks."

Elder Conner leaned forward a bit. "And what exactly do you wish for us to do?" he asked.

Dumbledore shifted a bit in his chair. "I was hoping you might help shed some light on what could possibly be doing this. From what you've told us, the Battle Mage Order goes back centuries before Wizards and Witches existed. Perhaps your archives might know something we do not."

Conner nodded. "I suppose that is true. Though we'll probably need to go to our Central Archive. I will not reveal its location. But it contains all the knowledge of the Battle Mages."

Dumbledore sat back in his chair. "Thank you. I would ask for help in defending the school from whatever this attack is, but considering our lack of knowledge on what we need protection against, it would be better to wait till we know more. However…..if we're unable to stop these attacks, we may be forced to evacuate the school, and shut it down."

Elder Conner tilted his head. "Headmaster, if I might ask…..where did you find the body of the girl who was killed? And in what manner was she killed?"

Dumbledore blinked at him. "Why do you ask that?" he asked.

The Mage Elder shrugged his shoulders. "It might be a clue, is all," he said.

The Headmaster sat back in his chair. "I'm not sure how much of a clue it could be. She was found dead in a bathroom on the second floor. There weren't any marks on her body. It's as if her body simply gave out on her. Ironically, it was outside that very bathroom that Harry found Mrs. Norris, the cat that was attacked."

"Is it just a coincidence?" Gareth asked. "Two attacks that were rather close to each other in location, almost fifty years apart….it seems unlikely."

Dumbledore sighed. "We did a thorough check of the area after the girl was found dead. We found nothing. Her ghost still haunts the bathroom, and thus we've been forced to mark that bathroom as out of order. And before you ask, we did try to question her about what happened. However, she was too distraught to answer us, and hid herself away. When she eventually did come back, it was almost ten years later, and the matter was forgotten. I had thought to question her again, but she seems to shy away from the faculty. We're not sure why."

Elder Conner nodded. "I see. Well we'll begin looking into this as quickly as possible, Headmaster. As I said though, it could be a while before we find anything. We'll let you know as soon as we do find anything."

Dumbledore stood as they got up to leave. "Thank you. I'll send you any further details that we find as well. I'll also send you information on several tutors for Travis," he added, speaking to Gareth. "I do hope to see him again next year though."

Gareth nodded. "We'll see, Dumbledore. We'll see." He said, as the two Mages entered the fire place and disappeared.

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><p><strong>And cut. Well that seemed like a good place to stop. My other idea was to cover Christmas and then end the chapter, but I like this better, for some reason.<strong>

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I do sort of feel like it fell flat after the Dueling Club scene. So sorry if it did.**

**One last note. I might end up disappearing for a while. I'm not sure. Currently, my computer is having some problems that are either minor….or they might be the signs of the hardrive crashing or burning out. I don't know which. So if that does happen….well I guess I'll be gone for a bit, won't I? Sorry.**

**1. His stance is similar to the one he took in the movie, but I modified it to look more like Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber stance in Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith. Felt a little cooler then his stance in the movie.**

**2. I have no idea what they're doing in the movies when they do this (as we see them blocking spells with their wands), so this is my theory behind it: Wizards can block spells by channeling their magic into their wands and parrying. The magic within the wand acts as a sort of solid reflective object against the spell.**

**Please Review!**


	6. Happy Valentine's Day

**Welcome to the sixth chapter of battle Mage of Hogwarts, Year 2! I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

**So, for those of you who have forgotten, last time we had the dueling club and the attack on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick. However, due to certain changes, it no longer looks like Harry is the culprit, does it? Guess you'll all have to wait and see. XD**

**Now, those of you who have read my Demon Dragon Rider fanfic know I've been having problems with my computer. Hopefully, the computer will be fixed up soon, or replaced with an excellent computer. Guess we'll see. Just pray and hope for the best.**

**Let's sit back and enjoy the next chapter here.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. That belongs to J.K Rowling

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

**Happy Valentine's Day**

In one of the training rooms of the Battle Mage Sanctuary, the sound of wood smashing into wood echoed out. Harry and Travis were training again, under the watchful eye of Gareth Wallace as they sparred with bokken's.

Harry held his sword up horizontally, blocking a downward strike from Travis, before shoving up. Travis stumbled back a bit, but managed to duck under Harry's slash. He stabbed at Harry's midsection, only for Harry to parry down, slamming Travis's sword into the floor. Harry stepped on the blade, keeping it pinned while he held his sword to Travis's chest.

Gareth nodded. "Winner, Harry. Good match, the two of you," he said.

The two of them nodded and bowed to each other, before setting their training swords aside. As they did, Travis quietly admired his new blue cloak. It had been a surprise Christmas gift for Travis, being promoted to the rank of Acolyte Mage. Something he had hesitantly accepted, considering his confidence had largely been shattered. However, he was slowly getting use to the idea.

They were in the first week of January now, having celebrated another wonderful Christmas together. Ghrian had been given a new collar, as well as some squeaky toys and treats. He had already torn one of the toys to pieces, and seemed to love his collar.

Harry and Travis had received gifts from their parents and each other. Harry had also received a book on Quidditch from Hermione, and another book on rare plants of the Western Hemisphere.

Travis had actually received a book on Muggle Photography. He had expressed an interest in taking up photography, after watching Colin at it.

Their sparring done, the two of them headed back to their family's apartment within the Sanctuary, following their father, who smiled at them. "You two did excellent. Keep this up, and you'll both be Disciples before you know it," he said.

Harry chuckled. "I'm not in any rush, because that means more responsibilities. And I've got enough of those right now."

Travis just smiled, as they arrived at home. As he opened the door, Ghrian rushed over and jumped into his arms. The little fox kit licked his face happily, his tail wagging.

Marian came over, smiling. "Welcome back. Harry, I finished washing your clothes, so they're ready to pack. You should hurry, since we'll have to leave tomorrow to drop you off at King's Cross Station."

Harry nodded. "Thanks mom. So, you all find a tutor for Travis?"

Gareth groaned slightly as he sat down. "Yeah. We interviewed three people before we find one we could trust. So Travis will be kept up to speed on his wizarding education."

Harry smiled at his little brother. "That's good to hear. Very good."

Travis just smiled while Ghrian barked happily. Marian smiled quietly, before looking a bit down. "You know Travis….we could keep the tutor….you don't have to go back to Hogwarts."

Travis glanced at her mother. "I know mother. But…..I don't want to hide. Eventually….I need to face my demons."

Marian hugged him. "I understand, my son," she said softly. "I'm just worried for you is all."

Travis smiled quietly. "I understand, mom."

The red haired battle mage just quietly retreated to her and her husband's bedroom, sighing quietly. She honestly wished she could keep both Harry and Travis from that school, considering everything that had happened so far. But she knew that Harry had to go. Both because the Wizarding World expected it and because the school could help teach him what he needed to understand about those he would have to fight in the future. And Travis seemed intent on returning one day.

Harry meanwhile returned to his room, sitting down on his bed. After their meeting with Dumbledore, Elder Conner and Gareth had both spoken to him about what they had discussed. They had told him about the ghost called Moaning Myrtle, and subtly hinted that questioning her would be a good idea. Harry resolved to do so when he got a chance. Which wasn't entirely likely, due to how things were going in Hogwarts.

Elder Conner had sent word to the Central Mage Archive near Rome in Italy, asking them for any info on a spell or creature which could petrify someone, even a ghost. So far, they had received no word at all, but it could take time. The Archive did hold close to four thousand years of knowledge, rivaling if not surpassing the knowledge once held in the Library of Alexandria.

Hermione had also been pouring over the Hogwarts library, trying to find anything she could. She had even tricked Lockhart into giving her a pass to browse Forbidden Section of the School Library, with Madame Pince, the librarian, breathing over her shoulder the entire time. Sadly, nothing came from it.

Harry quietly packed. Whatever came, he knew he had to be prepared. He just wished he knew what he was preparing for.

_Hogwarts Castle, the next evening_

The students, now all returned from their Christmas Break, gathered in the Great Hall for dinner. The atmosphere was slightly relaxed, due to the fact that there hadn't been another attack since the one on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick.

Harry looked to Hermione and Neville. "Do you think we'll be able to talk to Moaning Myrtle?" He asked. "If she has some info, it could be invaluable."

Hermione sighed. "That's going to be nearly impossible. It's the sight of the first attack, and Filch is almost always there, keeping vigil."

Harry crossed his arms in thought. "…..we'll figure something out. For now, we should focus on classes."

None of them noticed Ginny's frightened look, as she heard them talking. She trembled, looking down at her food. Did they know? If they did, she had to get rid of the evidence. But how? Then she realized how. She mentally nodded, her course set as she went back to eating.

At the Head table, Dumbledore nodded. "So the Mandrakes are progressing along?" He asked Professor Sprout.

She nodded. "Yes Headmaster. I'd dare say that before the end of the school year, they'll be ready to make the Restoration Draught."

Dumbledore let out a sigh of relief. "Excellent. We should ensure that the Mandrakes are well protected, and that if need be, we can quickly get replacements of the proper age."

The Herbology teacher gave an affirmative nod, as she went back to eating. Dumbledore quietly looked at his plate. That was one small bit of good news, which had sadly been scarce of late. Lucius Malfoy had done his best to have the School Board of Governor's start an investigation into whether or not Dumbledore was capable of still being Headmaster of Hogwarts. Thankfully, before anything could be started, the Ministry had stepped in, cancelling the whole business. This hadn't stopped Lucius from starting a smear campaign of Dumbledore's recent actions. Add in the attacks on two students, a ghost, and a cat, as well as the business with Travis, and this just hadn't been a good year. However, things were starting to look up. Hopefully it would stay that way.

As he watched the students finish their dinners and head off to their dormitories, he nodded quietly. Yes, perhaps things were starting to look up.

The following week could almost be considered normal at Hogwarts, which was a relief to the student population. There weren't any attacks, and nothing else out of the ordinary happened.

Harry and his friends had just finished up lunch, and were currently making their way along the second floor corridor, when they heard angry shouting in the distance. Shouting that sounded like Filch.

"Do you think there was another attack?" Hermione asked worriedly.

Harry shrugged. 'Let's go find out," he said, as they hurried towards the shouting. As they did, Filch's words became clearer.

"-MORE WORK FOR ME! I'LL BE UP ALL NIGHT MOPPING THIS MESS! THIS IS THE FINALY STRAW! DUMBLEDORE WILL HEAR ABOUT THIS!"

As they rounded a corner, they found themselves in front of the bathroom where Myrtle resided, and where Mrs. Norris had been attacked. A chair sat against a wall, where Filch had been keeping his continual vigil. The floor though was flooded with water, explaining Filch's anger.

Harry blinked. "The bathroom flooded?" He asked.

Hermione sighed. "It must be Myrtle. Maybe we should go," she said.

Harry shook his head. "This could be a good chance to get on her good side, ask her some questions," he said, as he entered the bathroom.

The floor was flooded as well, while water seemed to be pouring from under the end stall. They could hear the sounds of a female crying from within said stall.

Harry slowly approached, and knocked on the door. "Hello?" He asked.

Almost immediately, the sobs intensified. "Who's there?! Come to throw something else at me!"

Harry blinked. "I'm sorry, but I haven't thrown anything at you. I just arrived."

A young girl ghost exited the stall, looking at him suspiciously through puffy eyes behind large round glasses. "Who are you?" She demanded. "You're not a girl, so you shouldn't be in here."

Harry nodded. "I know, but I was curious about all the water, and the crying. I'm Harry Potter."

She blinked as she rubbed her eyes. "I'm Myrtle. And don't call me Moaning Myrtle. I hate that name."

He smiled. "These are my friends, Hermione Granger, and Neville Longbottom." The two of them waved at the girl ghost, who quietly waved back. Harry got her attention again. "So why were you crying?" He asked her curiously.

Myrtle looked down. "I…..someone threw a book at me…..well…not at me," she murmured. "I was in the U-bend of the toilet, thinking about death, and then this book came tumbling down through my head! I was so angry and upset, that I started crying, and it flooded the bathroom. The book ended up coming out too," she said, pointing to a corner, where a damp book lay.

Neville quietly picked the book up, examining it without opening it. He looked at Harry and Hermione, before shrugging and opening it. "…it's blank," he said, showing them. Indeed the book was completely blank.

Hermione blinked, taking it and looking through it. "Why would anyone throw away a blank book?" She asked.

Harry looked at Myrtle. "Did you see anyone when you came out?" He asked.

She shook her head. "N-No. I heard running footsteps, so I can only assume they simply flushed it away and ran."

The black haired mage bit his lip. "I see," he said, before deciding to try and get some information. "Myrtle, on Halloween night, a cat was attacked outside your bathroom here. Were you here when it happened?" He asked.

Myrtle blinked. "I…..I'm not sure. I was at Sir Nicholas's Deathday Party, but Peeves humiliated me, so I ran back here and hid. I don't recall hearing or seeing anything," she said. "Why do you ask?"

Harry sighed. "Professor Dumbledore….he said that last time the Chamber of Secret's was open…..you were killed by whatever is in the Chamber."

Myrtle's eyes widened, before she nodded, a small smile appearing on her lips. "Oh yes. In fact, it happened here, in this very bathroom. In this very stall, in fact," she said with a grin, as if she enjoyed talking about this, sharing her story. "I was hiding because Olive Hornby had made fun of my glasses. While I was in here crying, I heard someone come in here, and they said something in a weird…..almost hissing like voice."

The trio looked at each other as Myrtle continued. "Well anyways, the voice sounded like a boy's voice, so I opened the door to tell them to leave. And I just…..died. I think I saw these giant yellow eyes, and then I….I just left my body." She looked at them. "That's it, I'm afraid."

Harry nodded quietly to her. "Thank you for this information, Myrtle. Maybe we can use this to help figure out what this monster is. I….don't suppose we could ask you to help us by letting us know if you hear or see anything else?"

Myrtle nodded. "Alright, I suppose I could do that. You know…..you're different from other people."

He smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment. Later then Myrtle," he said, as he left with the others.

Outside, Harry looked at them. "I'll need to pass this information on to my dad. He'll be able to send it to the Archive, and they'll hopefully be able to peg what it is. At least now we know it is a creature. And probably something related to the snake family as well."

Hermione nodded. "We'll meet you back in the Common Room. I'm going to take a look at this book, see if I can discover why someone would want to throw it away," she said, holding up the empty book.

Harry gave them a quick nod, heading up towards the Owlery while pulling out a piece of parchment, a quill, and ink. He had important information to send out, and quickly.

_February 14__th_

Harry sighed quietly as he headed down to breakfast. He had been up half the night, examining the now identified diary that they had found in Myrtle's bathroom. So far, they had found nothing in it. All they could find was it belonged to someone named T. Riddle, and was roughly fifty years old. That had caught their attention, since they knew the Chamber had been opened fifty years ago. And thanks to Neville, they knew Riddle had won a Special Awards for Services to the school fifty years ago. He had polished it several times when he was serving detention for knocking Draco out. This led them to believe that perhaps Riddle had something to do with the Chamber, and the diary might contain information.

Sadly, the diary was completely empty, as if it had never been written in at all.

Hermione had tried a few different spells she had learned, as well as an eraser like object called a Revealer. Nothing worked at all, and the diary remained as empty as ever.

The diary was shoved out of his mind when he entered the Great Hall. He just stood in the entrance, staring in slight horror.

A few days ago, Lockhart had mentioned to McGonagall that he thought the school needed a boost in their spirits. Apparently his idea of a spirit boost was decorating the Great Hall with lurid pink flowers along the walls, and heart shape confetti falling from the ceiling. Lockhart himself was wearing lurid pink robes, and was smiling and waving to the students. The rest of the staff was far less cheerful.

Harry slowly sat down between Hermione and Neville. "I don't know if I'll be able to eat," he said quietly, looking at the food before them. Even the scones, pancakes, and sausage patties were shaped like hearts.

Lockhart stood and raised his hands. "Happy Valentine's Day to all! I thought this would be a fun way to celebrate the holiday, and raise our spirits. And the fun doesn't end with breakfast!"

He clapped his hands, and a surly bunch of dwarves entered, grumbling as they adjusted fake gold wings attached to their backs, and the togas they were forced to wear. Each was carrying a harp.

"These are my friendly cupids, who will be delivering your valentines to your special someone! And perhaps my fellow teachers will join in on the fun! I'm sure Professor Snape would love to show you how to whip up a Love Potion! Or ask Professor Flitwick about the Entrancing Enchantment!"

Snape just glared at Lockhart with utmost loathing, while Flitwick buried his face in his hands. Harry just glared at Lockhart.

"I swear, the man is going out of his way to be idiotic," he whispered quietly. Neville just nodded, while Hermione giggled a bit.

The entire day, dwarves continued to enter classes, disrupting the teachers. Or they would corner people in the halls, handing cards or giving them messages, musical and normal alike.

Harry found himself the target of one of them as they were headed towards Charms in the late afternoon. A particularly surly dwarf pushed his way through the crowd. "Oi! 'Arry Potter? I've got a musical message for you," he said, holding up his harp.

Harry blinked, as they were in a crowded hallway, which included the Gryffindor First Years, and Draco and his co-horts. "I don't suppose we could do this somewhere more private?" he asked, trying to move away.

The dwarf growled, grabbing his bag. "No! Stay here!" he shouted, tugging.

It was at that moment that a Hufflepuff Third year came tearing down the hallway, slamming into Harry. His bag went flying, and hit the ground. The sound of breaking glass indicated that at least one of Harry's ink pots had shattered.

Harry sighed. "Let's here the valentine then," he said, as he slowly opened the bag, slowly pulling books and parchment out to assess the damage.

The dwarf strummed his harp, and began to sing off key.

"_His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,_

_His hair is as dark as a blackboard._

_I wish he were mine, he's really divine,_

_The hero who conquered the Dark Lord._"

Almost every student in the hall burst into laughter at that, while Harry blushed lightly. His eyes narrowed though when Draco made a snide remark. "That had to be the most pathetic valentine ever! I wonder what loser sent that?" he asked, his eyes moving immediately to Ginny.

Harry noticed that Ginny was looking down, her eyes watery. He smirked slightly as he stood. "Well I for one enjoyed that valentine," he said, causing several people to stop laughing. He turned to the dwarf. "I'd like you to take a message back to the one who sent me that Valentine. But wait about a half hour or so. Tell them thank you for the valentine, and I wish them a very Happy Valentine's Day."

The dwarf grumbled and nodded, as he headed off. Harry turned back to his bag with a smile, only to stop as he slowly pulled out Riddle's diary. He blinked in confusion, seeing how it wasn't covered in ink like the rest of his books. Yet it had been in between a couple of the books that had been soaked.

While he was examining the diary, he didn't notice Ginny's horrified look, as she saw the diary in Harry's hands. She turned, trembling in fear. He had the diary? What if he figured out its secrets? She had to get it back. She quietly cursed her luck as she left with the First Years for their next class.

Harry quietly finished sorting through the contents of his bag. As he stood up, he held the diary in his hands. Why wasn't it covered in ink? That was really strange.

When night came, Harry retired early to his bed, drawing the curtains around him. He sat there, looking at the book, before slowly opening it. He pulled a quill out, dipped it in a new pot of ink, and slowly began to write in it.

"_Hello. My name is Harry Potter._" He watched the words glistening, before they disappeared. His eyes widened, only to widen even farther when words reappeared. Words he hadn't written.

"_Hello Harry. My name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. I see you figured out the secrets of my diary._"

Harry began to write again. "_Took an accident with my bag to figure it out. But may I ask how this diary works?_"

"_Of course. I recorded my memories into this diary, and cast a charm that turned those memories into a form of sentience. It was necessary, to preserve the knowledge of a terrible event that happened at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._"

"_Something that has to do with the Chamber of Secrets? Because if so, it's been opened again. There's already been four attacks._" Harry wrote back quickly. This could be the info he was looking for.

Riddles answer came back quickly. "_Then the Heir has returned. I was afraid of this. During my fifth year, the Chamber of Secrets was opened, and a number of attacks occurred, culminating in the death of one student. With Hogwarts about to be closed down, I made it my personal goal to capture the one responsible for the attacks. And capture them I did. Sadly, the culprit was only expelled, and I was given a Special Services Award for my efforts. The whole event was simply swept under the rug by the Headmaster, Professor Dippet._"

Harry nodded, as that matched what Dumbledore had told his dad Gareth and Elder Conner. "_Can you tell me who the Heir is?_"

"_I can do more than that. I can show you, if you like._" Riddle wrote back.

Harry hesitated for a moment. He wasn't sure what the diary had planned. But he needed to find the culprit, and fast. He sighed as he wrote his answer. "_Yes._"

Instead of an answer, the diary began to flip through several months, ending halfway through June. Slowly, a small window appeared on the page. Harry slowly pulled the book closer, trying to see what was there. Before he knew it, he felt like he was falling through the window into the book.

Harry grunted as he landed on his feet. Immediately he scanned the area, tensed and ready to fight. However, he was alone in what he now recognized as one of the hallways leading to the Entrance Hall. He blinked when he saw a figure standing on the stairs leading to the upper levels. He slowly approached, gathering the details of the figure.

It was a student, a fifteen year old boy with black hair, wearing Slytherin robes and a Prefects badge. He was watching as two wizards were carrying a covered figure on a litter down the stairs.

"What's going on?" Harry asked the boy, as he joined him. The boy completely ignored him, and harry blinked, reaching out to touch his shoulder, only for his hand to go straight through. Harry's eyes widened, as he did it again.

'So I'm like a wraith to them,' he thought, glancing at the boy. 'This must be his memories…..I'm fifty years in the past?' He looked around before both he and the boy looked up as a voice called out.

"Tom," called a wizard who was approaching them. Harry's eyes widened as he recognized the wizard. It was Dumbledore. However, he seemed much younger, with auburn hair and beard. But the half moon glasses were easily recognizable.

"Professor Dumbledore," the now identified Tom replied. "I-Is it true? Are they planning to close the school?"

The bearded wizard nodded. "I'm afraid so. Unless these attacks are stopped, they'll be forced to close the school, for the safety of the students. I'm sorry Tom, I know what that will mean for you," he said quietly.

Harry blinked at that, as Tom looked down. Dumbledore sighed, patting Tom's shoulder. "You should return to your dorm, and quickly. It's not safe out."

Tom nodded. "Thank you Professor. Good night."

Tom quietly left, heading for the dungeons. Harry blinked as he felt like he was being dragged along, before he began to follow him willingly.

Tom headed down the stairs to the dungeons, stopping. He looked around, before heading off one way at a quick jog. Harry blinked, as Tom looked like whatever he was doing was urgent.

They stopped outside a room, and Tom slowly moved into the shadows. Harry blinked at that, before sighing as he settled down to wait.

They were there for what felt like an hour. Harry sighed, wishing he could return to his own world, when he heard a noise coming down the passage. It sounded like someone large was dragging a large object. Pretty soon, a large shadow moved past them, before putting a rather large box down in front of the door and opening it. He seemed to gesture to something inside the room. "C'mon. Gotta get yeh outta here. Yeh need to go," the figure whispered quickly.

Tom slowly stepped out, wand at the ready. "Hello Rubeus."

Harry's eyes widened as he saw a young Rubeus Hagrid whirl, slamming the door close behind him. 'T-Tom?! What are yeh doing here?"

Tom sighed. "I'm sorry Rubeus. But they're planning to close the school. I can't let that happen. I'm sure you didn't mean to cause anyone any harm, but it's too late now."

Hagrid shook his head. "W-what are yeh talking about? He didn't do it!"

Tom advanced. "Hagrid, the least we could do for the parent of that dead girl is ensure the monster that killed her is slaughtered. Now move."

Hagrid pushed his back to the door, which was rattling. "He didn't do it! Aragog couldn't kill anyone!"

"Move Hagrid!" Tom said firmly, raising his wand. It was at that moment that the door slammed opened.

Harry's eyes went wide as a monster roared out of the storage room. It had a low slung body, multiple furry legs, razor sharp pincers and multiple glittering eyes. It bowled Tom over, trying to escape. Tom rolled, bringing his wand up to shoot a spell at the monster, only for Hagrid to get in the way. "NO!"

Harry felt darkness engulf him, before he found himself sprawled on his bed, panting. His eyes were wide; before he grabbed the diary and slammed it shut. He quickly threw it in his trunk and rushed downstairs, finding Hermione and Neville. "We need to talk. Now," he said.

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><p><strong>And that's that. I know, bit of an evil cliffhanger. Sorry, it just seemed like a great place to stop.<strong>

**So, my dad has told me the CPU is completely unrecoverable. So next weekend, he'll buy a new computer. *nods***

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I'll have a new one out as soon as my next DDR chapter is finished. So till then, my fans, friends, and fellow authors.**

**Please review!**


	7. Spiders

**And here we are in another exciting chapter of Battle Mage of Hogwarts: Year 2!**

**Now a quick word or two before we get started. **

**First off, my friend bunji the wolf is in need of a beta. He is normally a Naruto and Naruto crossover writer, but if there are any beta's here who are interested, please contact him!**

**Secondly, this fanfic may end up running shorter than its predecessor, Year 1. It wasn't something I was expecting, but after looking at Year 1, looking at this one, and then looking at what else I need or want to cover from the book itself, I find that I might be done in the next three or so chapters. So I guess we'll see, won't we? Rest assured I'll do my best to give you all enough action and excitement to make them worthwhile.**

**And finally….ignus sprinklespork gilaplec susipan.**

**Thank you for your time! *Bows and exits stage right***

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. The book series is the work of J.K. Rowling, the movies are products of Warner Brothers, and Harry Potter himself is the property of Ginny Weasley.

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

**Spiders**

"So Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago?" Hermione asked with one of her hands over her mouth in surprise and horror. Harry had dragged them to an old school room and quietly told them everything he had seen in Riddle's diary.

At hearing Hermione's question, Harry crossed his arms. "That is what we're supposed to believe," he said. "However, I don't think what I saw was accurate. Or rather….it might have actually happened, but I don't think Hagrid is the Heir of Slytherin."

Neville nodded. "I have a hard time believing it too. I mean, do you think someone intent on attacking muggleborn's would accept you or Harry, Hermione? You're muggleborn, and Harry's mom was a muggleborn witch. That makes him at least a half blood."

"Plus, Hagrid was talking to….whatever that creature was in a normal voice. Admittedly, maybe he was talking in Parseltongue and I could understand it, but the monster didn't look like it was a snake or related to snakes in anyway. It had too many legs, for one thing. And the eyes looked small and black. Not to mention there were a lot of eyes. What we're looking for responds to Parseltongue and has great bulbous yellow eyes," he said.

Hermione bit her lip. "Alright….then why was Hagrid caught? Why was Riddle so certain that Hagrid was the one who did it?"

Harry paced for a moment, in thought. "It could be…..that Riddle didn't have nearly as much information as we do now. Think about it. We're able to talk to one of the victims. And we have a Parseltongue who was able to hear this thing talk, instead of a hiss. Back in Riddle's time, the only one who could understand the creature was probably the one unleashing it on the students. It could possibly be that Hagrid was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Hermione pulled out a piece of parchment, and began to write down. "Okay then. So let's go over everything we know so far."

She began to read the items on the parchment off as she wrote them. "We know that at least three of the school's roosters have been killed this year. And that fifty years ago, the supposed 'Heir of Slytherin' opened the Chamber of Secrets, and unleashed some type of monster upon the school. We know that several muggleborn students were petrified, and one was killed. This year, the Chamber was re-opened. So far, it has attacked two students who were muggleborn, a ghost, and the cat of the caretaker, who is rumored to be a Squib."

Harry blinked, so Neville elaborated. "Squib's are people born into magical family, but have little to no magical power. If Filch is one, it explains why he hates students so much."

Harry just nodded, as Hermione continued. "We know that this creature is related to snakes in some way, and that it has large yellow eyes. Considering Myrtle's description of her death, it's safe to assume that the eyes somehow can kill this thing's prey. Either that or its breath, or maybe Myrtle just doesn't remember the exact moment of her death," she said, as she chewed on the edge of the quill.

Harry looked over the list. "Here's a question I've got. How is this thing moving around the school? It's not like some giant monster can just blend in with the school kids or something."

Hermione sighed. "I don't know. But I think if we're going to get any answers, we'll need to talk to Hagrid," she said.

Harry rubbed his forehead as he nodded. "I guess so. The question is, when? And how do we broach the subject? It's not like we can just walk up and say 'Hey Hagrid, mind telling us about the multi legged monster that got you expelled fifty years ago?'."

Hermione shook her head. "That's your department mister diplomatic. I just research things," she quipped, causing Harry to mock glare at her.

"Touché," he finally murmured as they returned to the Gryffindor Common Room.

As it turned out, the Second Year students were given something else to think about during the Easter Holidays. The Third Year of Hogwarts was when they started to choose extra subjects, which would help branch them out in their studies and learn different types of magic that were necessary for certain jobs and positions.

The choices of classes led to some rather comical scenes around the school. Dean Thomas, a muggle born, was seen closing his eyes and randomly jabbing at the list. This resulted in the list catching on fire after the third poke, and Dean frantically putting it out. Seamus Finnigan had asked his parents for advice, and ended up with two different letters pulling him in two opposite directions. He couldn't make up his mind, until Harry suggested he compromise.

Hermione had initially intended to sign up for a bit of everything, but Harry had pointed out that the sheer amount of work she'd have to keep up with would probably drive her insane. So instead, she settled for Care for Magical Creatures, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes. Neville also took up Care for magical Creatures, but chose Divinations, having been slightly fascinated by the ability to foresee the future. Harry decided on Care for Magical Creatures, and Ancient Runes. He thought it would be fascinating to compare the Mage Rune techniques and knowledge versus the Wizarding World's knowledge.

Ron Weasley had loudly complained about an inability to drop classes, as he wanted to drop Potions and DADA. When Fred and George had told him to finally stop being a prat and choose already, he had gone with Care for Magical Creatures and Divination, much to Neville's chagrin.

Harry also found himself distracted by the upcoming second match of the Inter-House Quidditch Cup: Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. Oliver had been upping the training sessions lately, and the team was in high spirits as the match drew closer.

Harry felt really good about his team's chances of winning the match tomorrow, as he trudged up the stairs to the boy's dormitory room, having just come back from the last practice. However, his good feeling faded when he found Neville standing in the doorway, staring into the room. He slowly moved past him, only for his eyes to widen.

The contents of Harry's chest were strewn around the room haphazardly, and the chest itself lay overturned, and almost completely empty. The bedside table had been emptied of its contents as well; the pockets of his robes had been pulled inside out, and all his books were scattered, a few looking like they were falling apart. Thankfully, the worst damaged seemed to be the Lockhart books.

Harry just stared, before immediately searching the wreckage for certain items. After making a thorough search, he turned to Neville. "The diary is gone," he said.

Neville's eyes widened. "It's gone? You're sure?"

Harry nodded as he started picking things up. "I've looked over everything that is majorly important. My sword, my Mage cloak, clothing, and armor, my spell books, they're all here. All my school stuff is here too, what's left of it. Clothing, personal effects, all that is here. The only thing not here is the diary. I left it in my bed side table," he said, as he started to put things away.

Neville came over to help him. "But….who would do this? And why?" He asked.

Harry sighed. "The Heir must have seen I had the diary. How they got in here, I don't know. Either they convinced a Gryffindor to do this…..or…the Heir….is a Gryffindor," he said quietly.

Neville's eyes went wide. "What? How could the Heir be a Gryffindor?" He asked.

Harry shook his head. "I don't know, Neville. I don't know," he said, as he finished cleaning up the mess. "But I do know this. If they stole the diary…..then the diary has a deeper connection to the Chamber than we know about right now."

_The Next Morning_

Harry sighed quietly as he ate his food. The school was abuzz with excitement to see the Quidditch Match today. All Harry could think about was that quite possibly at this table, one of his Housemates was in possession of the Diary. And worse, could possibly be the one who was attacking the other students in the school.

He and Neville had told Hermione about what had happened shortly after getting Harry's possessions back in order. Hermione had suggested reporting the incident, but Harry had said that it could lead to trouble. First off, it could expose Hagrid's secret to people who didn't know yet, and could cause the groundskeeper some trouble. And secondly, if they reported what had happened, Dumbledore or McGonagall might conduct a search of the Gryffindor Tower to find the culprit. If the Heir was in Gryffindor and caught wind of teachers investigating, they would probably either cover their tracks or do something drastic that would put innocent students at risk. In Harry's opinion, the best thing to do was to keep the theft to themselves, for now.

Unable to argue with Harry's logic, Hermione had thrown herself into researching all she could on what could be in the Chamber of Secrets. She had even tricked Lockhart into giving her a pass into the restricted section of the Hogwarts library, which was filled with very ancient texts, some of which contained dark secrets and spells.

Harry sighed as he finished eating, and looked at his two friends. Both of them had finished eating, and with a nod, the trio stood up to leave. Harry had to go get his Quidditch robes and broomstick, and Hermione and Neville had decided to accompany him.

Harry had just set foot on the marble staircase, when he froze as he heard a malevolent voice, almost practically on top of him. "_Let me kill this time….rip…..tear…..soft flesh…..let me sink my teeth into them!_"

Harry whirled, his eyes scanning madly. "It's here. It's out," he said.

Both of his friend's began to frantically scan around, but the trio couldn't see anything. Already, the voice was fading, as Harry frantically tried to pinpoint it. He ended up facing a wall, as the voice faded away. "It was coming from the wall. Or….maybe the other side of it," he whispered.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Harry…..I think I've got it! I'll see you two later!" She shouted, as she dashed off. "I need to get to the library!"

Before Harry could stop her she was gone. He quietly swore. "Doesn't she realize how dangerous it is to be alone?!" He snapped in anger.

Neville put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'm sure she'll be fine. And more importantly, if she finds something out, it could stop the attacks."

"Not if she's the next victim," Harry muttered as he headed to the Gryffindor Common Room.

Twenty minutes later he was stepping out onto the field with the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team to a mixture of cheers and jeers from the crowd. Across from them, the Hufflepuff team in their canary yellow robes was going over last minute strategies. Wood excitedly took to the air as soon as he stepped foot on the field.

Harry took a deep breath, as he mounted his broom. But before he could take off, McGonagall rushed onto the field with a purple megaphone in hand. Harry felt his heart sink.

"The Quidditch Match has been cancelled!" McGonagall announced through the megaphone, to shouts of disappointment and anger. "All students are to report to their House Common Rooms immediately! Your teachers will provide you with more information when there!"

Harry bit his lip as he rushed over to McGonagall, with Neville. "Professor, who was attacked?" He asked frantically, worried about the answer he would receive. His fears were all but confirmed by the look he received.

"I think you should come with me, Mr. Potter," she said quietly, as she turned to leave. They were met by Neville, who McGonagall quickly told to join them.

They were led up to the Medical Wing, where the Transfiguration Professor quickly ushered them inside. They saw Madame Pomfrey tending to a curly haired female Ravenclaw student with a prefects badge on her robes. And next to her, still as stone, was Hermione.

Neville dropped onto the nearest bed, staring at his friend, while Harry's fists were clenched. McGonagall gently placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "We found them outside the library," she said quietly. "They had a small mirror with them, which was in Mrs. Clearwater's hand." She indicated the Ravenclaw prefect.

Harry shook his head. "I tried to tell her to stop…..she said she needed to research something," he said, voice trembling a bit.

McGonagall gently squeezed his shoulder. "Let's return to the Common Room. I have an announcement to make," she said.

_Gryffindor Common Room_

"All students are to be in their Common Rooms by six o'clock each night. No one is to be out wandering the halls past six. You'll be escorted to your classes and to the bathroom by the teachers. All Quidditch Matches, training, and other evening activities are postponed till further notice. Mr. Potter, I'm afraid your morning practices will need to either be postponed or moved inside the Common Room," Professor McGongall said, before rolling up her parchment. The entirety of the Gryffindor House was dead silent as she continued. "I'm afraid that if things get worse, we'll need to close the school down. If any of you have even the slightest bit of information, please share it with myself or any of the other faculty members." With that, she left.

Almost immediately, Lee Jordon growled. "That's two Gryffindor's down now! Not to mention our House Ghost, a Ravenclaw, and a Hufflepuff! Don't the teachers see this is all coming from the Slytherin's!? Why don't they just chuck them out already?!" He said, to some nods and claps.

"Because it wouldn't do any good," Harry said quietly, staring into the flames. "Whoever or whatever is doing this is a lot more cunning then most of the students in this school. Plus they have a lot more power than your regular student, considering they would have to be able to control Slytherin's Monster. Whoever is behind these attacks is either an adult, or a very, very powerful witch or wizard. Simply expelling the Slytherins from the school won't guarantee that the Heir was also expelled. And in the end, wouldn't we be as bad as those who are prejudice against witch's and wizards with muggle parents?" He slowly looked around the room. "It wasn't that long ago that some of you in this room thought it was me who was the Heir of Slytherin. Are you not being too quick to judge all of the Slytherins for the actions of someone who might be in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw or Gryffindor?"

There were murmurs at what he said, as he looked back at the flames. "All I know is that whoever the Heir is, they attacked my best friend. And that they are still out there. One way or another, I will see their reign of terror ended," he said, before getting up and heading to the second year boy's dorm room.

There, he opened up his chest, searching for something. He had found it just as Neville entered the room. "Harry, what are you planning?" He asked.

Harry stood, holding up a silvery cloak, as well as his sword. "I'm going down to Hagrid's for answers Neville. You're welcome to come, or you can stay here if you like."

Neville clenched his fist. "No way am I letting you go alone. Friends stick together," he said.

Harry nodded, as he buckled his sword on, and then threw the cloak over them both. They made their way back down stairs, and waited quietly in an un-occupied corner for the Common room to clear out.

A few hours later, the last of the students went up to bed. It was at that moment that Neville and Harry snuck out.

The school was packed with teachers, ghosts, and prefects patrolling the hallways in pairs. Harry and Neville quietly maneuvered their way through the patrols, sometimes having to wait several minutes for a teacher to turn away, or for a ghost to pass through a wall to search another area. But finally, they managed to slip out the front entrance.

The sky was filled with stars, lighting the grounds with a faint glow as they made their way down to Hagrid's hut. They could see lights on through the windows, as they approached his door. Removing the Invisibility Cloak, Harry knocked on the door, only to be greeted by Hagrid's giant crossbow and Fang's booming barks.

Hagrid blinked. "Oh, it's you two," he said, lowering the giant weapon. "What do yeh want?"

Harry let out the breath he had been holding when the crossbow was pointed at him. "What was that for?"

"Nothin', I've bin…..well it doesn't matter now. C'mon in, I'll make some tea," the giant grounds keeper said as he let them in.

Harry and Neville sat down, watching Hagrid close the door and nervously began making some tea. They both blinked as he absentmindedly poured water into the kettle, nearly extinguishing the flames. "Hagrid, are you alright?" Neville asked.

Hagrid jerked in surprise, smashing his tea pot. "Wha'? Y-Yeah, I'm alright," he said, even as he poured them two mugs of boiling tea.

Harry bit his lip. "Hagrid…..we know you were expelled fifty years ago. We know you were framed for that girl's death."

Hagrid froze, before slowly looking at them both. "Yeh know?" He whispered. "How?"

Harry shook his head. "That doesn't matter now. I know you couldn't be the Heir of Slytherin Hagrid. But I think you do know something. If you have any information, please tell us."

Hagrid shook his head. "I don't…..I can't Harry….I-," they were interrupted by knocking on Hagrid's door.

Quick as a flash, Harry dragged Neville to the far corner of the hut and threw the Cloak over them both. Hagrid looked at them, making sure they were hidden, before grabbing his crossbow and opening the door.

Dumbledore stood on the other side of the door. He nodded quietly to Hagrid. "Good evening Hagrid. May we come in?" He asked. Harry blinked at, as at his current angle he couldn't see anyone else with Dumbledore. However, as Dumbledore stepped in, a second figure followed. Neville barely stifled a gasp.

"That's Cornelius Fudge, the Minster of Magic," he whispered to Harry. Harry nudged him with his elbow, telling him to be quiet. He had met Fudge before he came to Hogwarts in his first year, when Gareth brought him to see both Dumbledore and the Minister in the Ministry of Magic.

Fudge cleared his throat. "Sorry about this intrusion, Hagrid. But I'm afraid the ministry has to act. Four attacks on Muggleborns already. The Ministry needs to do something."

Hagrid, who was pale and sweating, shook his head. "I nevah'….Professor Dumbledore, yeh know I would nevah'," he pleaded.

Dumbledore looked at fudge. "Cornelius, I do believe that not only is this the wrong course of action, it is a futile one. Hagrid was a good friend to one of the very victims up in the Hospital Wing. And I've presented evidence to show he was in the Great Hall all during the Halloween Feast. There is no way he could have possibly been responsible for that attack."

Fudge fidgeted more with his bowler hat. "The Ministry has to be seen doing something, Dumbledore. I've already taken your evidence into account, but Hagrid's record speaks against him. If it's proven he's innocent he'll be released, but until then-."

"Yeh can't take me to Azkaban!" Hagrid said, backing against a wall.

Fudge shook his head quickly. "No, no. I'll admit that was the original idea, but the evidence Dumbledore presented, at least on the night of October the 31st, was enough to move you to one of the secure holding cells in the Ministry. However, if no evidence clearing your name is presented, we'll have to move you to Azkaban. It's all I can do now." He said, trembling a bit under the fiery stare of Dumbleodre's eyes.

Before anyone could respond, there was another knock on Hagrid's door. Dumbledore answered the door, only for Lucius Malfoy to stroll in as he owned the place. "Ahhh, Dumbledore, I was told I could find you here. And Fudge, could. This makes things easier."

Hagrid growled. "Get out of meh house! Yeh're not welcome here!"

Lucius sniffed. "I would suggest keeping your temper in check. Wouldn't want to upset those guards at Azkaban, would you? And I assure you, I have every desire to leave your…. 'house' as quickly as possible."

"I'm afraid you've been misinformed. Hagrid will be temporarily detained in the Ministry holding cells," Dumbledore said calmly. "Now what business do you have here?"

"I come here on behalf of the school Board of Governors, Dumbledore. I'm afraid that we feel you've lost your touch. Another double attack today, yes? Pretty soon they'll be no Muggleborns left, and we know what a dreadful loss that would be," Lucius said, though the sarcasm was barely hidden. He held out a long roll of parchment. "This is an order of suspension, signed by all twelve of the Governor's," he said.

Fudge blinked and shook his head. "Now see here Lucius. That's a rather bad idea, don't you think? If Dumbledore's gone, the school will erupt in chaos."

Lucius just glanced at him. "The school is already in chaos, and Dumbledore has been unable to do anything about it. The role of suspending the school Headmaster has always resided in the power of the school Governor's, and we feel that this is in the school's best interest," he said.

Hagrid growled. "The school's, or yours, Lucius. How many did yeh blackmail and threaten to get yer way?"

Lucius gave him a sneer. "It was their choice to vote."

Dumbledore held up a hand to stop any more commotion, before looking to Lucius. "This is rather petty of you, Lucius. You strike in a time of crisis, all because I refused to back down regarding the punishment of the Slytherin House. Never the less, if this is the will of the Governors, I'll abide by their decision to temporarily step down as Headmaster. However….I will never truly be gone from Hogwarts. So long as anyone here needs my help, or there are any of those loyal to me, I will always be here to give Hogwarts my help."

Lucius just sneered. "We'll see Dumbledore," he said, before sweeping out. Dumbledore sighed, as he quietly followed him.

Fudge watched them go, before turning to Hagrid, who slowly grabbed his mole overcoat. He headed to the exit, only to stop. "If anyone wanted ter find out some stuff, they'd just need to follow ter spiders. That'll lead 'em straight," he said.

Fudge blinked in confusion as Hagrid left, before closing the door. Almost as soon as it was closed, the Invisibility Cloak was thrown off and harry angrily smashed a fist into a wall. "Damn that man!" He hissed angrily.

Neville shook slightly. "With Dumbledore gone, the school is in serious trouble," he whispered, while Fang whine and howled in despair, seeing his master gone.

_Five days later_

Neville's words proved slightly prophetic. While the school didn't dissolve into anarchy, the loss of Dumbledore nearly crushed the spirit of the student body within Hogwarts walls. Everyone seemed tense and unhappy, and any smiles or laughter seemed forced. The only one who seemed happy was Draco.

He was heard commenting to Crabbe and Goyle how he knew his father would be the one to remove Dumbledore from the school, and how he and his father thought Dumbledore was the worst thing to ever happen to the school.

"Perhaps we'll get a proper Headmaster this time, one who won't want the Chamber of Secrets closed," he said with a smirk.

Unfortunately for Draco, he said this within earshot of Snape. While the old Snape would have let such comments slide, the new Snape took away twenty points from Slytherin and gave Draco a week's worth of detention for 'vulgar and threatening comments'.

Harry and Neville found their own job of investigating much harder now. They were unable to move freely except at night. And trying to find spiders in the dark of night was next to impossible.

However, they caught a lucky break when leaving Herbology that afternoon. Harry noticed a group of spiders fleeing from the greenhouse they were working in and heading for the Forbidden Forest. He quickly pointed it out to Neville, who bit his lip when he saw where they were heading.

"How will we track them?" He whispered to Harry as they arrived in their DADA class.

Harry sighed. "I'm not sure. The best bet would be to grab Fang tonight, and head in the general direction they were going."

Before they could talk further, Lockhart bounded in, full of energy. "Why the long faces everyone? Don't you see, the danger is passed! The Ministry of Magic apprehended the culprit!"

Harry froze, as he glared at Lockhart with hatred. He wasn't the only one, as almost every Gryffindor shared that same look with Lockhart.

"What makes you so certain?" Dean Thomas snapped at Lockhart.

"The Minster of Magic wouldn't have arrested Hagrid if he wasn't absolutely sure," Lockhart said, as if explaining something simple.

"Then how do you explain how Hagrid was in the Great Hall when Mrs. Norris was attacked? Or sitting behind me at the Quidditch game when they found Hermione and that Ravenclaw student?" Neville demanded.

Lockhart shook his head. "He must have deceived you in some way. Very clever on his part," he said.

Harry trembled in anger. Yes, very clever for a giant of a man who never got beyond third year. Harry, not able to stand it anymore, muttered something under his breath as Lockhart went to sit down. The chair slid forward, falling over backwards with Lockhart in it. Before the blonde Professor could react, his head smacked into the stone floor, and he was rendered unconscious.

While the rest of the students rushed forward, Neville glanced at Harry, who was seething in anger. "We're going tonight," Harry whispered.

Neville took a deep breath, and nodded to him.

That night, the pair snuck out under the Invisibility Cloak, and quickly made their way down to Hagrid's hut. Harry was again outfitted in full Battle Mage regalia, while Neville clutched his wand.

The two were practically bowled over by Fang when they let him out of Hagrid's hut. Harry calmed him down, before leaving his Invisibility Cloak inside. The trio set off towards the woods, trying to follow the same general path that the spiders had been following.

Neville trembled a bit as they passed the outer fringe of trees. "I've heard there are all kinds of dark things here. Werewolves and such," he whispered.

Harry bit his lip. "I know there are at least unicorns and centaurs. Though I'm not sure how receptive the centaurs will be," he said.

As the light of the moon started to fade, Harry and Neville both raised their wands, casting the _Lumos_ spell, which had been taught in Charms class this year. Immediately, two small points of light lit up on the ends of their wands, illuminating the nearby area in a faint glow. Harry's eyes widened as he saw some small scurrying shapes heading deeper into the forest. He quickly pointed them to Neville, who nodded. The pair, with Fang in tow, followed them quickly.

It was tough going. At first they seemed to be on an actual path leading through the forest. But twenty minutes of following it and the spiders, the spiders scurried off the path, on a gentle slope downwards. Harry bit his lip, before following them off the path, while mentally doing his best to judge which direction they were going.

The forest became harder to navigate. Fallen branches, tree roots, bushes, and rocks all rose in their path, catching on their clothes, rising up to trip them, or appearing suddenly from the blackness for them to stub their toes against. This continued for a half hour till they reached a clearing. It was here that the spiders disappeared.

Harry cursed as he moved forward quickly, trying to find them again. "They're gone," he said dejectedly, when he couldn't see them anymore.

Neville began looking around another part of the clearing, when Fang let out a booming bark. Harry and Neville froze, as they heard something moving in the distance, coming towards them.

Harry immediately pulled back to the center of the clear, drawing his sword. "Neville get behind me!" He shouted.

Neville rushed over, as Harry slid his wand into his wrist holster, and summoned a ball of flames to his left hand, while holding his sword with his right. The rustling noise was drawing closer, and seemed to be surrounding them. Then all was silent.

Harry looked around wildly, panting a bit in fear, as was Neville. He slowly raised his fire filled hand up, trying to illuminate beyond the clearing. But he could see nothing. Fang had gone quiet as well.

Several minutes passed, with nothing happening. Slowly, Harry lowered his sword, before sheathing it. "Do you think it's gone?" He whispered to Neville.

Neville was about to turn to answer, when something bowled over the pair of them. The fire in Harry's hand went out, and he was suddenly grabbed by something that yanked him up. He could hear Neville yelling, as well as Fang whimpering and barking, before whatever grabbed him ran out of the clearing, moving at high speed to some destination.

After what felt like an eternity, during which Harry saw numerous other shapes join whatever was carrying them, the thing holding him stopped and dropped him. Neville and Fang crashed next to him, as Harry got his first look at what had captured them. It was a giant spider, as large as an adult bear, with long pincers and hairy legs. They found themselves surrounded by spiders on one side. On the other was a giant domed shape web.

The spiders around them, ranging from small normal sized spiders to spiders the size of dogs, to the monstrous ones that had captured them, all began to click their pincers together. Harry jerked in surprise when the one who had captured him spoke. "Aragog! Aragog!"

From the giant web came another spider, this one the size of an elephant. Harry tried to stifle a yell, as he saw it. His eyes widened when he saw the multiple milky white eyes, indicating it was blind.

"What is it?" The giant spider Aragog spoke in a tired old voice.

"Men have come. Not Hagrid. Younger ones," spoke the spider that had captured Harry.

"Kill them then. I was resting," spoke Aragog, who started to retreat.

"We're friends of Hagrid! He sent us!" Harry shouted. This caused all the spiders to freeze, as Aragog turned to him.

"Why would Hagrid send you? He's never sent others here before," Aragog spoke slowly.

Harry slowly stood, gathering his courage. "Hagrid's in trouble. A monster from the Chamber of Secrets has been unleashed on the school, and Hagrid's been blamed for it. Just like he was fifty years ago."

Aragog clicked angrily. "Those foolish humans! They judge without finding the truth! Hagrid is a good and decent man, he would never harm anyone!"

Harry nodded. "I know. He's my friend. It's why I came here. Before he was taken, he said I should find the spiders to learn what I can."

Aragog looked at the young mage. "You are brave young one, and true to your friends. I can respect that. What do you wish to know?"

Harry stepped forward. "What can you tell me about the events fifty years ago?"

Aragog sighed. "There is not much to tell. I was but an egg when I came into Hagrid's possession. He hatched me and raised me during his second year at Hogwarts. During the third year though…..that is when the troubles began. A monster….a terrible monster we spiders fear was unlashed in the school. When I sensed it, I begged Hagrid to let me flee. He swore he would protect me, no matter what. Even when I was discovered and blamed for the attacks, and the death of that one girl, he defended me. He brought me here into the Forest, where he found me a mate."

Harry bit his lip. "So you know what is attacking the students in the school?" He asked.

Aragog seemed to tremble. "We do not speak of it! It is an ancient and terrible creature, one that has haunted our kind for millennium! No, I will not speak of it."

Harry wanted to ask another question, but was stopped by Neville grabbing his shoulder. He turned to see the other spiders were slowly approaching, their pincers clicking.

Aragog sighed tiredly, as he retreated to his web. "I'm sorry my young friends. I respect your courage and dedication. But Hagrid is the only human I can keep my children from eating. I hope Hagrid can forgive me for this," he said softly.

The spiders were about to lunge forward, when Harry whirled, shooting flames from his hands, creating a circle of fire around himself, Neville, and Fang. The spiders stopped, reeling back from the flames, as Harry looked back to Aragog. The giant spider cringed, feeling the heat.

"You are powerful young one. But you cannot hope to sustain your flame indefinitely," he said.

"You have to let us go!" Harry shouted. "If you don't, you sentence Hagrid to a life time in prison!"

Almost immediately, Aragog's pincers clicked rapidly, and the other spiders backed off. Aragog slowly turned his attention to Harry. "What do you mean?"

"I already told you, Hagrid has been taken away. If he's not proven innocent, he'll be sent to Azkaban, the Wizarding prison. And it'll probably be for the rest of his life. If you kill us, you doom any chance of him being proven innocent. We're the only ones at the school investigating what is truly going on! Please, let us go so we can save Hagrid, and our school," Harry pleaded.

Aragog was silent for several minutes, before clicking his pincers. The spiders slowly parted, giving the trio an avenue of escape. "Go then. But know that if you ever return, you will not be spared again."

Harry nodded as he lowered his flames. "Thank you, Aragog."

The trio quickly escaped from the spider grounds, and rushed back towards the castle. The whole way, Neville was deathly silent, until they escaped the Forest and returned to the grounds. He stopped and began to puke up dinner on the ground, while Fang shot back to Hagrid's hut. Harry quietly retrieved the invisibility Cloak, and rejoined Neville.

As the two made their way back up to the castle, Neville wiped his mouth. "Well that was a huge waste of time," he said.

Harry nodded in agreement. The only thing they had truly learned was that whatever this thing was, it was enough to make an elephant sized spider tremble in fear. Harry sighed as they entered the castle. It looked like their investigation had hit a dead end.

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><p><strong>And chapter. Well, I hope you all enjoyed how I handled the Aragog situation, considering I didn't have a car to rescue them this time. *nods*<strong>

**As I mentioned, my friend bunji the wolf needs a beta. At least he did last time I checked. He hasn't said otherwise. So if you're a Naruto fanfic beta, or a beta who's willing to do Naruto fanfics, give him a PM, will you?**

**Please review! Unless you're going to flame, at which point don't bother. I'll just simply ignore it other than to thank you for adding to my review count.**


	8. Rescue in the Chamber

**Welcome to another exciting installment of Harry Potter: Battle Mage of Hogwarts!**

**Sorry about the long wait in updating. The chapter I was writing for my NarutoxInheritance Cycle fanfic, Demon Dragon Rider, was proving to be a major pain to get through. But now that it's complete, I can begin writing the next chapter here.**

**I hope you all enjoy, and if not, then why are you reading this in the first place? *Grins at the audience***

**So without further ado, let's dive into the chapter!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It is the property of J.K. Rowling.

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

**Rescue in the Chamber**

The warm spring weather did little to ease the tension inside the castle of Hogwarts. While there hadn't been anymore attacks, the loss of Dumbledore, the wise and powerful headmaster, and Hagrid, the strong giant of a man, had shattered any chance of the students feeling safe. Most students had thought that Hagrid, being the groundskeeper, could handle any monster, no matter what. And Dumbledore had been a symbol of safety and stability. Every student had been sure that Dumbledore would solve everything, and save the school.

Now the students remained in a constant state of unease and paranoia, especially the muggleborn students, and even the half-blood students. Each wondered when they might be the next ones attacked, and left as a stone statue in the Infirmary.

Unfortunately, the teachers only added to the pressure as they entered the beginning May by announcing that their Final Exams would still be held at the beginning of June. When Professor McGonagall made the announcement, several students protested, considering everything that had happened. Ron Weasley had been among the most vocal in their protest.

Professor McGonagall had told them, in a curt manner, that Professor Dumbledore had instructed her to keep the school running as normally and smoothly as possible, and she would do that for as long as she could. She told them all to study hard for the upcoming exams, before dismissing them.

"Can you believe this? Exams? I don't think anyone has prepared for them at all, what with all this Chamber of Secrets business going on," Neville said as they left class.

Harry nodded quietly. "I agree. But she has a point. There's no point in us being here if things aren't going to be run the way they're suppose to be. For now though, we need to focus on trying to solve this business with the Chamber of Secrets. We know that it was opened fifty years ago. And whatever is in the Chamber of Secrets is something snake based that spiders fear. And that the possible entrance is in the abandoned girl's bathroom that Myrtle inhabits. There has to be something we're missing," he said.

They were walking towards lunch, when a shout from behind caught their attention. "Harry turned in time to see Fred and George rush up. "Harry, just the man we wanted to see. You remember when you asked our dad about a House Elf Registry at the Ministry of Magic?"

Harry nodded, as the two twins continued. "Well our dad finally managed to get an answer for you," Fred said.

"And you won't believe who the master of Dobby is," George continued.

"It's none other"

"then our own"

"Draco Malfoy!" They both said together.

Harry blinked. "Draco owns Dobby?" He asked.

"Well his father Lucius Malfoy owns him, technically. But yeah. He's registered as a servant…or should I say slave, of the Malfoy family," Fred said.

"Poor little blighter. He'd be better off with no family," George said sadly. "Well, just wanted to deliver the news! Later Harry!" The twins headed off, while Harry looked at Neville.

"So Dobby belongs to the Malfoy family. If that's the case, and he knew something was going to happen here at Hogwarts, then that must mean," Neville began to say.

"That means that whatever is happening in Hogwarts was something Lucius was planning. Or Draco, though considering the amount of chaos, I'm assuming it's his father. Draco isn't smart enough for something this big." Harry concluded.

Neville nodded. "So maybe Draco knows something about what's going on? We need to find a way to question him," he said.

Harry shook his head. "I'm not so sure he knows exactly what is going on. It's possible he does, but honestly, I think he's been just as surprised as we all are about what's happened. The only difference is he enjoys it," he growled out.

The two of them headed back to the Common Room. Harry really wanted to go visit Hermione, but after being allowed to see her after the attack, the Infirmary had been put on lock down. Only faculty and students actually needing aid were allowed inside.

Elsewhere, little Astoria Greengrass worked on her homework in a corner of the Slytherin Common Room. She would much rather be in the library, where she could avoid her housemates. But due to the attacks, all students were not allowed outside their Common Rooms unless they were going to class or one of the meals.

She felt some of the stares of anger and hatred directed at her. At first she was being pushed around, bullied, and called names. A couple of the older students had even tried to assault her, but had been stopped by her sister. But after her talk with Professor Snape, and his intervention, the other Slytherin's had reduced their attacks to ignoring her or glaring at her.

Astoria just quietly wrote down her essay that she had been working on. She had written her parents, and told them everything. She had felt so guilty, thinking it was completely her fault for what had happened to Travis. Her parents had tried to comfort her via letters, and even sat down and talked to her about it when she came home from Christmas. And while she felt a bit better about what had happened, she still felt horrible.

She quietly finished, and put her books and parchments into her bag. As she walked towards the dorm room, a Fifth Year girl purposefully knocked her elbow into her, knocking her into a couch. 'Watch it," the older girl snarled.

Astoria just kept her head down and rushed upstairs, not letting them see the tears. The older girl smirked, until she felt the cold fury of Daphne Greengrass's glare. The second year girl was standing, wand aimed at the Fifth Year, who backed away. Daphne just growled, as she kept her gaze on the girl, until said girl joined her friends. Then she sat down, trying to push the incident from her mind. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened. And she knew it wouldn't be the last.

_May 28__th__, the Great Hall_

As the students of Hogwarts ate their breakfast, and prepared for the day ahead, McGonagall stood, and called for their attention.

"Students of Hogwarts, I have good news," she said, earning cheers and the yells of several students on what the good news could be.

"You caught the heir of Slytherin!" One students shouted out, with several others cheering.

"Dumbledore is coming back?" Several called out hopefully.

"Quidditch is back on!" Shouted Roger Davies, the Quidditch captain of the Ravenclaw team, only to earn quite a few glares from students and faculty. He sheepishly sat down.

McGonagall cleared her throat. "Actually, I have just been informed by Professor Sprout that the Mandrakes are finally ready for cutting. Tonight, Professor Snape will create the Mandrake Restorative Potion, and we will be able to return the petrified people in the Hospital Wing back to normal," she said to great cheers and applause from most of the students in the Hall. The exception being some of the Slytherin's, including Draco Malfoy. "This also means we might finally have a lead on who or what has been causing this dreadful attacks, and finally put an end to all this."

Neville grinned. "This is great news! If the others are back to normal, we'll be able to find out who the Heir is!" He said excitedly.

Harry grinned and nodded, only to blink when he saw a pale and distracted Ginny sit next to him. "Hey you okay?" He asked Ginny.

She barely glanced at him, as she sat there, fidgeting and rocking back and forth slightly. Harry slowly moved to put a hand on her shoulder, only for her to tense and pull away. "Ginny, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

Ginny trembled. "I….I need to tell you both something," she said to Neville and Harry.

Neville blinked, and leaned in closer as Harry nodded encouragingly. "Go on."

Ginny trembled, looking down as she twisted her hands in her lap. She opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, closed it a second time, and then let out a shuddering breath. "I….I'm sorry," she whispered.

Harry blinked. "Sorry? For what?" He asked.

Ginny trembled, and was about to speak, when Ron came over and grabbed her shoulder. "What the hell are you doing to my sister?" He growled at them.

Ginny shot out of the chair and made a run for it then. Harry growled as he looked at Ron. "I wasn't doing anything to her, Ron. She sat down here, and wanted to tell me and Neville something. That was it," he snapped.

Ron blinked. "Then why was she all pale and stuff, huh? Did you threaten her?"

Harry stood up, glaring at Ron face to face. "I would never threaten someone who didn't deserve it. And she's done nothing to deserve it."

Ron blinked. "Fine then. Heck, she probably just wanted to tell you about Percy and his girlfriend anyways," he said; only to freeze as a hand rather forcefully landed on his shoulder.

"What was that Ron?" Percy Weasley asked forcibly, a sort of forced grin on his face. Ron just trembled as Harry sat down, deciding to ignore them. His mind instead was going to what had just happened with Ginny.

Outside in the hallways of Hogwarts, Ginny was frozen, her face pale with her eyes glazed off. In her mind, an angry voice hissed. "_That was a foolish move, girl. I think your time has come._"

Back in the great Hall, Harry's thoughts were interrupted by Madame Pince, who came strolling over. "Mr. Potter. I found this note lying in my library. I don't know who it's from, but I ask you not to have secret admirer's leave you notes around my library," she snapped, thrusting a sealed envelope at him.

Harry blinked as he took it, seeing his name on the envelope. More importantly, he recognized the writing as Hermione's. His eyes widened and he nodded to Madame Pince. "Yes. Sorry about this," he said, stuffing the envelope in his robes. The stern librarian just sniffed before turning and leaving. Neville glanced at Harry questioningly, but Harry waved him off with a quick "not here".

As soon as both were done eating, they were escorted towards their Defense Against Dark Arts class. While they walked, Harry opened the envelope and began to read what was inside.

_Harry_

_If you're reading this, then the worst happened. I was hoping to get this information to you myself, but I knew there was a chance something could happen to me, so I left this note in the library. Hopefully Madame Pince found it first instead of another student._

_I found out what's been attacking the students here in Hogwarts! Harry, it's a Basilisk! I finally managed to piece it all together! It's a massive snake like creature, so you can understand it since you're a Parseltongue. The basilisk can live for long periods of time, perhaps centuries, so that can explain why this one can still be alive down there from Salazar Slytherin's time. The cry of the rooster is fatal to it, and Hagrid's roosters were killed not that long before Mrs. Norris was attacked._

_But what is most important is this. The gaze of the basilisk is fatal. Looking into its eyes will instantly kill the victim. I managed to get some information on the attacks that happened fifty years ago, and I noticed something. All of the attacks save for the one on Myrtle, also involved some type of reflective surface. And in those cases, each of the victims was petrified. When I compared it to the attacks so far, I realized the connection. Mrs. Norris must have seen it through the water spilt on the floor. Colin saw it through his camera. Justin saw it through Nearly Headless Nick, who got the full blast but couldn't die a second time._

_There's one more piece of evidence that could support my theory here. It is said that spiders flee before the basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy. I'm not sure how you can figure this out, but if you do, then that proves I'm right._

_I also know how it's been getting around the school. You've kept hearing the Basilisk through the walls, which means it's getting through the school using the plumbing system. The pipes through the walls let it get around without being seen!_

_One last thing Harry. Besides its gaze, the Basilisk also has incredibly potent venom. One scratch of its fangs is more than enough to kill even a troll. _

_I'm really sorry that I can't be there to help you Harry. I just hope that you put this information to good use._

_Love, Hermione_

Harry just stared at the letter in shock, before looking at Neville. "A basilisk?" He whispered.

Neville trembled a bit. "My grandmum's told me about those. They're really rare Harry. And they're usually considered extremely dark creatures."

Harry bit his lip. "We'll need to tell the teachers about this. After the second class, Snape or McGonagall should be in the staff room. We'll bring it to them then," he said.

Harry could barely sit through Lockhart's class, as his mind whirled upon the implications of what he had just learned. They now roughly knew what was down there, and Harry had a good idea where the entrance to the Chamber was. The remaining problem was answering who was behind it.

When class ended, Lockhart escorted them to History of Magic, complaining about how all this business was unnecessary, and that the minute the petrified people awoke, they would claim that it was Hagrid. Harry just sent the man a glare as he left, before entering the classroom. The only reason he hadn't shared the info with Lockhart was because the man would simply claim glory for himself, instead of actually caring about the student's safety or ending the problem. The man was an utter incompetent.

All through the class, Harry just waited impatiently for the bell to ring, so he could rush off to find McGonagall or one of the other teachers who could do something. But just as the end of class was nearly, McGonagall's voice, enchanted to be heard through the whole school, surprised everyone.

"_All students are to report immediately to their Common Rooms. All faculty members please report immediately to the Staff Room!_"

Harry cursed. "Not now. Not now!" He said, as the students began to panic. They tried to leave quickly, with harry keeping Neville back.

"We have to tell them what we know. Now," he hissed.

Neville just nodded, and they rushed down to the staff room. All students were informed of its location, so they would know where to find it if a teacher they were looking for was there.

Harry rushed into the staff room with Neville just behind him. The teachers all shot up, wands at the ready, only to stop when they saw the two panting Second Year's. "Potter, Longbottom! You better have a good reason for being here and not in the Gryffindor Common Room!" McGonagall nearly shouted at them.

Harry nodded, catching his breath. "Professor, I know what's behind the attacks!"

This caused the room to freeze, before McGonagall spoke. "Explain, quickly."

Harry pulled out Hermione's letter. "It was Hermione Professor. On the day she was attacked, she went to the library to follow a lead she had. She put together all the clues, and discovered what's been doing this. It's a basilisk."

McGonagall took the letter and began reading it quickly. "…..this does explain a lot," she said. "But it doesn't entirely help us. We know what's causing the attacks, but we don't know where it is, which is what we need to know right now!"

"Professor, who was attacked?" Harry asked.

The Transfiguration Teacher sighed. "It wasn't entirely an attack this time," she said. "The Heir left us another message, in the same place. They've taken a student hostage, and wrote '_Her skeleton will remain in the Chamber forever'_."

Harry trembled at that. "Who was taken?" He whispered quietly.

The teachers all looked at McGonagall, who sighed, looking down. "Ginny Weasley. She was missing from both her classes today. No one's seen her since breakfast."

Harry's eyes widened at that. "H-Her? Why her? She's not muggle born, is she?"

McGonagall shook her head. "Her family is pureblood, though they are considered blood traitors. It doesn't matter now. What we need to focus on is getting the students out of the school, and finding the Chamber. Thank you for this information Harry. It'll be put to good use."

Harry wasn't done though. "Professor, I think I know where the Chamber Entrance is. It's in the girl's bathroom next to where the messages were left," he said hurriedly. "Think about it. Both of the messages left by the Heir were written right next to the bathroom. And the only person killed by the basilisk was inside the bathroom. If we hurry, we might be able to rescue Ginny!"

Snape stood. "Mr. Potter, I don't think you realize how dangerous this is. Basilisks are among the most dangerous of magical creatures, only truly surpassed by the Nundu and dragons. None of the staff here are trained to fight something like this. If what you say is true, we'll need a fully trained team from the Ministry to handle this creature."

"But it could be too late by then!" Harry shouted.

McGonagall came over. "Harry, I understand your frustration and concern. But there is nothing we can do. Right now, you need to head back to the Common Room. Please," she said quietly, but firmly.

Harry looked at her, before finally turning and leaving. Neville followed him, till Harry stopped and pulled him into a small alcove.

"Neville, I'm going to be doing something that's probably incredibly stupid. I can't ask you to come along," he said.

Neville sighed. "Somehow I knew you'd be saying that. Just answer me one thing Harry. Why are you doing it?"

Harry sighed quietly. "I don't know…I just…I feel like I have to do this, okay? I just don't feel right sitting back when I know I can do something about this. Don't you feel the same way?" He asked.

Neville looked at Harry. "…you're right. Okay…..I'll come with you to the entrance. But I doubt I'll be much use in the Chamber itself. I don't exactly have a lot of strong magical spells useful in fighting."

Harry nodded. "I know, but you can at least help by keeping the entrance clear for others, if help arrives," he said.

Neville took a deep breath. "Alright. When do we move?" He asked.

Harry looked over his shoulder. "McGonagall will probably come to tell everyone what they need to know about what's going on. We'll head out after she leaves. The sooner we get this done, the better," he said.

Neville gave him a grin. "I wonder if every year is going to be like this. Hopefully this time I don't get an arrow in the leg."

Harry grinned back, as they rushed to the Common Room.

It was nearly four hours before Harry and Neville were able to make their move. When McGonagall arrived in her House's Common Room, she informed the students there of what had happened to Ginny Weasley. She told them all to pack up their belongings, as they would be evacuated from the school the next day. After she left, and the Common room filled with the chatter of sad, shocked, and outraged students, Harry and Neville quickly disappeared upstairs. There, they grabbed the only heirloom of his biological parents that he had received so far. An Invisibility Cloak that had belonged to his father. Shrouded in it, the two managed to sneak out of the Common Room, and head towards their destination.

The school halls were utterly silently. A strange occurrence for the middle of the afternoon. But neither Harry nor Neville concentrated on that. Right now, they were focused on not being caught as they headed towards Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

When they arrived, Harry pulled off the cloak, revealing himself to be in his Battle Mage attire. He adjusted the sword at his side, checked his wrist mounted wand holster, before looking at Neville, who nodded. They both entered the bathroom, closing the door behind them. Neither of them noticed the shadow peeling itself from an alcove and moving to the bathroom door.

Harry quickly went over to Myrtle's stall and gently knocked. "Myrtle? It's Harry. I need to talk to you," he said.

The ghost quickly appeared, blinking. "Harry? What do you need?" She asked, blinking.

"Myrtle, have you seen anyone come in here recently?" He asked. "A girl was taken by the Heir of Slytherin in the Chamber, and I think the Entrance is in here," he said.

Myrtle's eyes widened. "I did actually, just today! I heard a voice, the exact same one from when I died in fact! It was hissing. By the time I was able to get out of the U-bend and look outside, all I could see was the wall that sink is attached to rising back up," she quickly pointed to the wall opposite her stall. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to come tell you earlier, but the Common Rooms and Dormitories have special wards preventing all ghosts except House Ghosts from entering," she said. "When I couldn't find you, I came back here."

Harry smiled. "It's no problem. Thanks Myrtle."

The ghost girl blushed, as Harry went to examine the wall and the sink. Neville was right next to him, looking it over, before pointing to one of the taps. "Here! There's something here," he said.

Harry took a look, and found himself looking at a small snake emblem etched into the tap. He nodded as he examined it. "Clever. If I'm right…..only a Parseltongue could open this," he said, looking at Neville. "You might want to take a step back."

Neville did so, as Harry looked at the serpent on the tap. He took a deep breath, and said "Open". When nothing happened, he glanced at Neville, who shook his head.

"Figures. Guess I need to imagine it's a living serpent," he said, before focusing on the snake. He willed himself to try and believe it was actually a live, before speaking again. "_Open_."

Only this time it wasn't his normal voice. This time he could hear the hiss. And suddenly, the sink and wall just slid down through the floor, revealing a massive opening.

Harry stared at it, before slowly dropping to one knee, and holding out a hand, muttering a few words. As he did, flames erupted from one hand, searing the floor where the wall had fallen through, turning it to molten rock before he used a wind based spell to rapidly cool the molten rock, effectively welding the sunken wall into place and jamming the entrance open. Harry finished, praying what he did worked. "Alright Neville. With any luck, I'll have welded the entrance open. Stay here and wait for my return, or for the teachers to arrive."

Neville nodded. "Good luck Harry….and God speed."

Harry nodded, before taking a breath and then sliding down the pipe. It was long, wide, and filled with ooze, making Harry nearly puke at the feeling as he slid through the muck.

Eventually, the tube leveled out and he went flying out of the tube, rolling to get to his feet quickly. Harry slowly wiped the slime off himself as best he could, while looking around. The area was pitch black, so he pulled out his wand, whispering "_Lumos_". The tip lit up, revealing that Harry was in a long stone passageway, with a very high ceiling. Examining his surroundings and finding nothing, Harry slowly headed down the passageway.

Back in the bathroom, Neville nervously watched the entranceway to the Chambers, when he heard the entrance to the bathroom creak open. He turned, his eyes widening as the figure there held their wand on him. Before he could react, the figure fired a red spell at him. Neville fell to the floor unconscious, as the figure grinned and headed to the Entrance. Letting out a sound of disgust, the figure entered.

Harry grimaced as he stepped on the skeleton of a long dead rat. The path had become littered with the skeletons of dozens of dead animals, ranging from small rats to larger mammals. There even appeared to be a centaur skeleton.

Harry shuddered, thinking about what left these remains here like this, when he saw something in the shadows ahead of him. Harry immediately squinted his eyes, ready to close them all the way if need be. But whatever the thing was wasn't moving. Slowly, Harry advanced, only to gasp when he saw what it was.

Before him was a massive, vivid emerald snake skin, nearly twenty feet in length, and almost four feet in diameter. Harry trembled as he looked at the snake skin. He had no idea how old this skin was. It could be fifty years old, or only a few months. But either way, whatever shed it was probably bigger then this skin was.

Harry shook his head, pressing onward. Eventually though, he found his path forward blocked by a massive sealed door, with two giant snakes emblazed on it. Each snake had glittering emeralds for eyes.

Harry took a deep breath, as he approached, before glancing at the snakes on the door. Their eyes seem to flicker in the light of his wand, as he studied them. He spoke, again hearing his voice come out in a hiss, as he commanded the door to open. There was a clanking noise, before the door slowly opened, revealing a massive room beyond.

The room was dimly lit by some strange, greenish glow that originated at the end of the hall. The glow couldn't completely illuminate the room, leaving the ceiling and corners in shadow. Massive pillars, decorated with coiling serpents stretched from the floor to the ceiling. And at the end of the massive room was a large statue of what Harry could only presume was Salazar Slytherin. The statue's head touched the ceiling, with a long thin beard reaching down almost to the hem of the wizard's robes. Two massive feet were planted on the floor of the Chamber. And lying between them was a small huddled figure with a shock of red hair.

Harry's eyes widened, as he quickly went over, sheathing his wand in its holster. He grabbed Ginny, rolling her onto her back. Her skin was ale, almost death like, and she was barely breathing.

"Ginny? Ginny wake up," he said, shaking her shoulders. Getting no response, he shook her again, harder this time. He stopped, when he noticed something clutched in her hands. Tom Riddle's diary lay there on her chest. Harry's eyes widened, as realization began to sink in.

"She won't wake up," came a voice from behind him. Harry whirled, his eyes widened as he saw a figure standing not too far from him. A figure that couldn't possibly exist.

"Tom Riddle," he said, eyeing the Slytherin boy. He looked exactly like he had in the memory within his diary. Except his outline was blurred a bit.

"Harry Potter. It's so nice to finally meet you," he said with a smile.

Harry slowly stood, noticing that Tom had a wand he was slowly twirling between his fingers; probably Ginny's wand. "It's you…..you're the Heir of Slytherin, aren't you?" Harry asked.

"My my, you are perceptive, aren't you?" Riddle asked. "Indeed, I am the Heir of Slytherin. Though young Ginny here was completing my work in my name."

"How are you here? I'm assuming it has to do with the diary," Harry said, as he slowly stood, and took a few steps away from Ginny. If spells started flying, he didn't want her in the crossfire.

Tom smirked as he watched Harry. "It all began when I learned about the Chamber of Secrets. There have been many myths and legends about it. But I knew the truth when I heard about it. That it was Salazar's defense against the true threat to the magical community. It was his solution to the problems of mudbloods who dared to populate the halls of this great institute. Of course some claimed that it was a defense against outside invaders, but I knew the great Slytherin would never stop merely at protecting against outside aggressors. That was why I studied everything I could about the Chamber. And in my fifth year, I took up Slytherin's task, to finish what he started."

He looked towards the statue. "Sadly, I failed to complete my work. The death of the last mudblood girl threw too much suspicion on me, and also threatened to close the school down. As much as I wanted to finish my mission, I knew I couldn't let the school be closed. Not yet. So I threw the blame onto that oaf Hagrid, and then sealed the Chamber up again. And then I created copies of my memories into a book, along with a portion of my soul. So that when the time came, I could start my great work anew, through another. All I had to do was wait."

Harry clenched a fist as Tom smiled. "And my patience paid off. I'll admit I was disheartened when I found that it was a silly little girl who found my diary. After fifty years of waiting, it was a little girl, one from a blood traitor family no less, who was to be my avatar. Still, better than nothing I suppose. I listened to her pathetic whining, how she hated having second hand robes and school supplies, how she was always teased by her brothers …how she couldn't even talk to the great Harry Potter."

Harry growled as he smirked and continued. "I was the perfect friend. I listened to her whining I gave her a shoulder to cry on. And I fed on all her darkest fears and greatest secrets. It was so…..delicious. Until I grew strong enough to start to influence her. Slowly feeding her my own soul, until finally, I was able to take control."

"At first, she didn't realize what was going on. She mentioned having moments where she blacked out, and such, as well as evidence of what she had been doing while under my control. She sounded so unsure, so confused at what was going on. It was so amusing to hear her next several entries. Of course, she eventually got wise to what was happening, and tried to get rid of the diary. And that is where you come in, my friend. Ginny told me all about your fascinating history. Including how you defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort. That is what truly fascinates me," Tom said, his eyes flickering to Harry's scar. "So when it was you who wrote in my diary next, I was quite happy to finally speak to you. Sadly though, Ginny cut our time short, by stealing the diary back. She was terrified you might have learned her secrets, learned that she was the one attacking people. I was very upset that I wasn't able to spend more time talking to you. So I engineered Ginny's 'capture', and brought her down here. And now that I've almost completed taking her life force to help my rebirth into this world, I can finally ask you the question I want to ask most right now."

Harry growled, drawing his sword in a flash and pointing it at Riddle. "Release her now," he said.

Riddle smirked. "Ahhh yes, that is what I was expecting. The heroic figure, dashing to the aid of others. Predictable. But don't bother threatening me, Potter. There is nothing you can do to me to make me stop. For now, just answer me this: how? How is it you, a mere baby, were able to defeat the Dark Lord Voldemort?"

Harry growled. "Why do you care? Voldemort was after your time! ...unless…..you can't be," Harry said.

Riddle smirked. "You guessed it, Potter," he said as he waved Ginny's wand through the air, spelling out a name. Tom Marvolo Riddle soon floated in the air. Tom waved Ginny's wand again, and the letters reformed, spelling out 'I Am Lord Voldemort'.

Harry stared at the sixteen year old Tom Riddle in horror. This was that snake like face he had seen last year? This was what that figure had once looked like?

Riddle smirked at Harry's expression. "I see you know the truth now. That you are in the presence of the most powerful sorcerer in history!"

Harry blinked at that, before smirking. "Are you kidding me? That's the biggest load of centaur manure I've ever heard."

Riddle's eyes narrowed as Harry continued. "I'm not in the presence of the greatest sorcerer ever. You're not nearly as powerful right now as you were when you attacked me eleven years ago. And even then, you weren't as powerful as Merlin or Dumbledore. Merlin was the first true sorcerer ever, and he did things wizards and witches could only dream of today. And everyone knows you were afraid of Dumbledore. That you didn't dare face Dumbledore in a straight up fair fight proves it!" Harry snapped back.

Riddle snarled. "Dumbledore has been driven from this castle by the mere memory of me!"

"You're pathetic! He was only driven away by your weak little underling. And even if he's physically gone, Dumbledore will never truly be gone from this school so long as those loyal to him remain!"

Before either of them could say another word, there was a trilling noise that rang through the air. It was a beautiful noise, like crystal wind chimes being gently moved in the breeze. It grew stronger, filling Harry's heart with courage. And just as suddenly as the song came, a powerful jet of flame appeared above the statue of Salazar Slytherin.

Both of them looked up to see a beautiful swan like bird, with red and gold feathers, soar through the hall, singing its song. It flew down to them, dropping a ragged bundle at Harry, which he caught with his left hand. It then slowly settled on Harry's shoulder.

Riddle stared at the bird. "That's a phoenix," he said, before eyeing the bundle in Harry's left hand. "And that is the schools' Sorting Hat. So this is what Dumbledore sends to his great defender? A bird and a hat?"

Riddle's cold laughter filled the hall, as he moved away, towards the statue. "You have escaped me twice, Harry Potter. Now, let's see if you can do it a third time." He stopped before the statue, and held out a hand towards it. His voice changed into a snake like hiss, but Harry could understand every word.

"_Hear me Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four! Answer your Heir!_" He called out. As he did, the mouth of the statue slowly opened, and a shape began to squirm out of the opening.

Harry's eyes widened when he saw the snake like snout emerge, before he rapidly shut his eyes and backed into a corner. He could hear the giant basilisk slither down to the ground, its body impacting against the floor. He stopped though, when he heard a deep, yet feminine voice echo from roughly where the basilisk was. "_**You dare to summon me again! I told you that you are corrupting my purpose!**_"

"_Your purpose is to serve me! NOW KILL HIM!_" Came Tom's enraged hiss.

The basilisk seemed to hiss, as if in some type of struggle, before stopping. "_**Yes….master,**_" it said in a monotone voice, before it began to move towards where Harry was. Harry felt the phoenix with him leap off, taking to the air. Feeling the hat in his left hand, he stuffed it into his belt before holding his sword in both hands. His wand would be useless at this point, as he didn't know any powerful spells he could use with it. Taking a deep breath, he lowered his head so he would be looking at the floor, and then opened his eyes. Seeing the floor, he slowly raised his eyes till he saw the body of the basilisk. It was a vivid emerald, almost poisonous green in color. He could see the muscles of its body contract and expand with its slithering movement. Harry gripped his sword, waiting as it got closer.

The basilisk seemed to rise up, and Harry dodged to one side just as it struck, smashing into the wall. Harry rushed at its side and slashed at it, his sword scoring a long thin scratch in the basilisk's flank. The giant snake hissed, turning quickly. Harry danced back out of its range, raising a fist before launching flames at the basilisk. It rose up, hissing in anger and some fear, as the flames nearly hit it in the face.

From above, the phoenix shot down, trilling as it latched onto its neck and tried to peck at its eyes. The basilisk roared, shaking its head and forcing the phoenix to let go and flap up higher. But it was enough of a distraction for Harry to use his next spell. A column of earth and rock shot up, smashing into the basilisk's head and knocking it back further down the hall.

It was at this moment that a figure appeared in the hall, a triumphant grin on his face; perfectly white teeth glinting somehow in the dark and gloomy room. The grin of Gilderoy Lockhart faded, as he saw his next bestseller fade right before his eyes, as the basilisk slowly rose up in front of him. The wizard stood there, trembling, slowly looking up as the basilisk opened its mouth. He let out a piercing, girlish scream as the snake struck, biting down and ripping him half. It feasted on its first large meal in decades, savoring the taste. (1)

Harry just stared at what had happened. "I don't know whether to puke or cheer right now," he muttered, only to curse as the basilisk turned towards him. He retreated, keeping his eyes low, as the snake launched itself at him again. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite fast enough, as the snake smashed into him, knocking him into a pillar. His sword fell from his hands, as he slid down the pillar. Above, the phoenix made a second pass, trying to get at the basilisk's eyes. As the giant snake turned to face the phoenix, Harry tried to get his breath back, while reaching for his sword. Just as he grabbed the hilt, the basilisk's tail smashed through the pillar, destroying it. A large piece fell right on Harry's sword, breaking the blade from the handle. Harry looked at the hilt and broken blade in his hand, before throwing it down.

The phoenix trilled as it made a dive, claws tearing into the basilisk's nose. The giant snake hissed angrily, nipping at the phoenix, managing to catch a few of its tail feathers in its mouth. The phoenix escaped teleporting in a burst of flame to the opposite side of the hall and burning the basilisk's mouth in the process. The snake roared in agony as Harry used the moment to sneak into a small alcove.

Riddle growled as he watched all this. While it was amusing to see Harry's fight against the basilisk, and especially amusing to see the fate of Gilderoy Lockhart, he was growing tired. He wanted Potter dead. He growled as he watched Potter duck into a small tunnel.

Harry panted as he entered the tunnel, and leaned against the wall. He had lost his sword, but was left with his battle mage spells. He looked down at the sorting hat still tucked into his belt. Why in Merlin's name did that phoenix bring it to him? Having nothing to lose, he pulled it out and put it on his head. '_I don't know why you're here, but I could use some help,_' he thought to the hat.

He heard a chuckling noise. "_I see. You're facing against Slytherin's basilisk, eh? I remember when he told the others about it. They freaked out; until he assured them it was for the defense of the school. Seems like someone's turned it against the school instead._"

Harry's eyes widened. '_So it wasn't to be used against the muggleborns here in the school?_'

"_Well Salazar was convinced they would turn on Hogwarts eventually. But the basilisk was meant to only be used if Hogwarts came under attack. I have no idea how Riddle is controlling her, but I can give you something to help out. You might want to take me off first,_" the hat said.

Harry pulled the hat off, looking at it until he saw a sword handle materialize inside the hat. He reached in, grabbing the handle and pulling out a massive sword. The blade was long, almost four feet in length, with a foot long hilt. The hilt was silver, with goose egg sized rubies decorating the cross guard and pommel.

Harry stared at the sword, both in awe and confusion. How was he supposed to use a sword that was as tall as he was? He gasped when he felt an electrical shock go through his system, before the sword began to shrink. The hilt shortened only a small amount, allowing him to hold it more evenly. The blade shrunk down to two and three quarter's feet, being more manageable for Harry to wield.

Harry looked at the sword, then at the hat. "Thanks," he said, stuffing the hat back into his belt. Gripping the blade, he peered out, only to curse and run as the basilisk smashed at the tunnel entrance, trying to get at him.

The basilisk snarled, turning towards Harry, who was gripping the sword, watching its body to gauge its movements. The snake moved slower this time, causing Harry to slowly move back. It suddenly lunged at Harry.

Harry knew he wouldn't be able to dodge completely. So, as he leapt to the side, he also swung the sword in his hands to try and deflect the onrushing fangs.

His tactic worked better then he hoped, as the sword actually cut one of the poison filled fangs from the basilisk's mouth, sending it flying and landing near Ginny. The basilisk reared back, roaring in pain at the loss of one of its teeth.

Harry, seizing the opportunity, decided to remove the basilisk from the equation. He stabbed the silver sword into the ground, before dropping to one knee as he called upon as much of his magic as he could. His eyes almost seemed to glow as he spoke the spell he was channeling this magic for. "_Efferri Hosti In Terra!_ _(Binding Earth!)_" (2)

The ground surrounding the basilisk trembled, before pillars of rock and earth shot up, surrounding the basilisk and covering its body before driving back into the floor. Within seconds, the basilisk was pinned down by numerous 'ropes' of rock, preventing it from moving at all.

Riddle growled as he saw the basilisk pinned. "You'll pay for this Potter!" He shouted, as he fired a spell from Ginny's wand at him. Harry's eyes widened as he rolled out of the way, only to find another coming at him. Acting in desperation, he threw the sword up between him and the spell. To both his and Riddle's surprise, the spell was deflected by the sword.

Harry stared at the sword, wondering what exactly had he pulled from the Sorting Hat, when he was returned to reality by a third spell fired at him by Riddle. Harry deflected it as well, maneuvering to try and get closer. But Riddle continued to fire spell after spell.

The two continued this dance, until Riddle fired the Disarming Spell at Harry. The spell knocked the sword from Harry's hands, making Riddle smirk. At least he was until Harry launched a fist of rock at Riddle, making him dodge. Harry, in an act of desperation, rolled forward, grabbing the basilisk fang off the floor and stopping near Ginny. As Riddle started to aim his wand at Harry, Harry practically ripped the diary from Ginny' hands and held the basilisk fang above it.

Riddle froze, as Harry nodded. "So you're still vulnerable. If something happens to the diary, you're finished. Aren't you?" He asked.

Riddle growled. "You won't win Potter," he said, before raising Ginny's wand.

In an instant, Harry stabbed the basilisk fang through the diary. A scream echoed through the diary, matched by Riddle's scream of pain. Ink spurted from the diary like blood, as poison from the fang burned through the diary like acid. Then in a flash of light and what almost looked like fire, Riddle disappeared. At the same time Ginny's eyes burst open as she gasped for air.

Harry dropped the diary and fang and approached as Ginny slowly sat up. She trembled a she looked around, before her eyes landed on Harry. They widened at the sight of him. "H-Harry?" she whispered.

Harry nodded, smiling weakly as he felt his fatigue catching up with him. "It's okay Ginny. You're safe now," he said.

She trembled, looking at his exhausted and somewhat battered appearance, to the now destroyed diary, before she hunched up, hugging her knees to her chest. "H-Harry….I'm sorry….it's me! It's been me this whole time! I've been attacking everyone! I'm so sorry! I tried to tell you, but….I'm so sorry!" She started to sob into her knees.

Harry slowly knelt down next to her, and pulled her into a hug. She kept crying as Harry held her close. "It's not your fault Ginny. He was using you. It wasn't you," he said comfortingly.

She kept sobbing. "I'm going to be expelled. They're going to expel me and I'll go to prison!" She sobbed out.

Harry gently lifted her face so she was looking at him. "I promise Ginny that they won't expel you, or send you to prison. You have my word," he said.

Ginny's sobs quieted, before she trembled. "W-Why are you being so nice to me?" she whispered. "You almost died because of me."

Harry smiled. "Because I'm the hero. It's what we do," he said jokingly.

She looked down a bit, and Harry sighed. "You didn't do anything wrong Ginny. You were a victim, twisted by Riddle into serving him. You didn't do anything wrong. So I have no reason to blame you. But I'd like to apologize to you. If I had maybe talked to you more…..I could have given you someone to confide in about everything that happened. Instead, I just ignored the warning signs. For that, I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Ginny's lip quivered before she hugged him, wrapping her arms around his neck and cried. Harry held her close as she kept sobbing.

Their moment was interrupted by a hissing noise coming from the other side of the Chamber. To Ginny it just sounded like a snake hissing. To Harry though, it was something else.

"_**Well this is really touching and all, but could someone please free me over here! These rocks are chafing my scales!**_" Harry looked up to see the basilisk wiggling as much as she could against the rocks holding her in place.

Ginny screamed when she saw the basilisk was still alive, but Harry shushed her gently. "It's okay. I don't think she'll hurt us," he said.

"B-But it's a basilisk! The basilisk! It's going to kill us," she said.

"_**I'll forgive her this time because she's been through a traumatic experience. But I don't enjoy being painted in a bad light just because the first basilisks served Dark wizards!**_" The basilisk said in an annoyed voice. Ginny trembled at hearing the angry sounding hiss, until Harry re-assured her.

Harry slowly approached the basilisk from behind, only to hear her hiss again. "_**You don't have to worry about my eyes. Basilisk's can turn the power of their eyes on and off at will. Now please let me loose so I can properly thank you for getting rid of that twit.**_"

Harry just blinked as he released the spell n the basilisk. She stretched and wiggled about, before turning and bowing her head. "_**I am Tutella (Guardian), the basilisk charged by my master Salazar Slytherin with the defense and well being of this school. I thank you for freeing me from that dark one's corrupting influence. Sadly, I could not disobey his orders. Despite him misusing me, he was Slytherin's heir.**_"

Harry bowed slightly. "You _are welcome Tutella. I am Harry Potter. So the rumors about you being a defense of the school are true,_" he said.

She blinked. "_**I was unaware that people thought otherwise. Then again, I'm betting people have blown my master's mistrust of muggleborns out of proportion.**_"

When Harry nodded, she hissed angrily. "_**I figured as much. So what happens now?**_"

Harry shrugged, suddenly struck by how surreal this must be. Here he was talking to a nearly thirty or forty foot long basilisk after having just fought this same creature in a near death battle. "_I was going to ask you the same thing,_" he said.

Tutella tilted her head a bit. "_**Well I suppose if no one needs me, I'll go back to sleep. I honestly don't like being active unless I'm actually needed. Oh and….sorry about that one**_," she said, tilting her head in the direction of the remains of Gilderoy Lockhart.

Harry shrugged. "_He had it coming,_" he said.

Tutella chuckled, before slithering towards the statue of her master. "_**He was tasty at least. I owe you a debt, Harry Potter. If you ever need me, you know where to find me.**_" With that, she slithered up back into the mouth of the statue, and disappeared. It soon closed, and Harry let out a sigh of relief.

Ginny just stood there, staring at him. "W-What just happened?" She whispered.

Harry smiled. "I made a friend," he said, as he picked up her wand from where it had dropped when Riddle died. He handed it to her, before grabbing the sword from the sorting hat, and the remains of Riddle's diary and his Basket Hilt Claymore. He glanced at the phoenix from before landed on his shoulder. "There you are. You okay?"

The phoenix trilled, making Harry smiled, and Ginny stand a bit straighter. "Good. What say we get out of here?" Harry asked.

Ginny nodded, and the trio headed towards the entrance of the Chamber.

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><p><strong>And chapter! Wow I really got this done fast. Maybe I was excited about what I was covering here, or maybe I was just excited to get to the ending of Demon Dragon Rider.<strong>

**Either way, here is my longest Harry Potter chapter to date. I hope you all enjoyed it, and the little/big twists I added in.**

**1**. **I know, I killed Gilderoy Lockhart. But come on, how many of you weren't thinking you wanted to kill the dude yourself if you were forced to listen to his drivel?**

**2. This translates from Latin to Binding Earth in English, according to my friend JediDragonRanger. However, I may have got the spelling wrong. And if that's the case, I'm sorry. He gave me translations for certain spells, but I have atrocious handwriting. So when I copied the spells onto a piece of paper, some of the words got smudged up a bit.**

**Until next time my fans!**

**Please review.**


	9. All's Well That Ends Well

**Wow. A lot of you actually liked the fact that Lockhart died last chapter. Sweet. And you were also happy that Harry spared Tutella. I'm glad. I had hoped to be the first to do that, but sadly, someone beat me to the punch. I don't remember who, but I've seen one other Harry Potter fanfic where the basilisk was spared thanks to Harry.**

**And now we come towards the end of the story. Seems like November is just a month for me ending fanfics, isn't it? **

**So, without further ado, let's get on to the next chapter!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. That is the property of J. . Though I suspect that if I had better experience writing, I could make something better then what Rowling did.

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

**All's Well That Ends Well**

Harry looked up the tube he had slid down to reach the Chamber. Now that he had gotten here, he wished he had asked Tutella if there was another way out.

It was at that moment that the unnamed phoenix came over, landing on tube and holding its tail feathers towards Harry. Harry's eyes widened, as Ginny blinked in confusion. "It looks like he wants you to grab his tail feathers. But why?" She asked, looking at Harry.

Harry smiled. "Because phoenix's can carry enormous loads," he said. His parents had tutored him on various magical animals when he was growing up, as part of the Battle Mage training. Harry smiled as he held out a hand to Ginny, who blushed and took it. Harry then reached out and gently grabbed the phoenix's tail. He felt a sudden sensation, almost as if he was weightless, before the phoenix took off. Ginny let out a gasp of surprise as they flew up the tube.

Not even a minute later, they were in Myrtle's bathroom. Harry's eyes widened when he saw Neville's prone form on the ground. "Neville!" he shouted, rushing over to his friend, only to stop and let out a breath of relief when he saw Neville was still breathing.

Myrtle suddenly appeared through the bathroom door, which slammed open as McGonagall and Snape followed. The two had their wands drawn, only to stop when they saw Harry, Ginny, and the opening that led to the Chamber of secrets. McGonagall's face was almost white as her mouth opened and closed, while Snape eyed the opening. Finally, the Transfiguration Professor managed to speak. "Mr. Potter, I think you have some explaining to do," she said.

Harry nodded. "I understand Professor, and I'll be happy to do so. But right now, Neville needs help. I think Professor Lockhart did something to him," he said.

Snape moved to Neville's side and examined him. After a few moments, he looked up. "He was hit with a stunning spell. Though why would Lockhart assault a student? It makes no sense," he said.

Harry growled softly. "It makes sense if the man was a phony just looking to cash in on someone else's work. Not that it matters anymore," he said.

McGonagall blinked. "What do you mean by that?" She asked softly.

Harry sighed. "He ran into the basilisk and…..well let's just say he was half the man he used to be," he said.

The female professor sighed as she looked at Snape. "Please take Mr. Longbottom to the Infirmary. I'll take care of Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley."

Snape nodded as he conjured a stretcher and levitated Neville onto it, before levitating the stretcher. He left, while McGonagall turned to the others. "What do we do about that?" she asked, pointing to the opening in the wall.

Harry turned to it. "Give me a second," he said, as he began to work on the welding he had done to keep the doorway open. With a few spells, he freed it, and it slid shut again.

McGonagall nodded as she saw it closed. "I'm sure you'll have quite a bit to tell Professor Dumbledore and myself," she said, as she led the two of them away.

Harry's eyes widened. "The Headmaster is back?" He asked.

McGonagall nodded. He is waiting in my office, along with Miss Weasley's parents. They're quite worried, which is understandable. And your parents are here also," she said, giving a wry smile as Harry winced.

They journeyed to McGonagall's office, where they could hear soft sobbing inside. McGonagall opened the door, letting them in.

There was a brief moment of silence as they entered, before Molly Weasley, who had been sobbing, rushing forward and scooped Ginny up. She hugged her only daughter tightly, crying. Ginny tried to hug her back, as Mr. Weasley came over, hugging his wife and child.

Harry looked past them to see his mom and dad. They both came over to him and stood over him. Marian Wallace had her hands on her hips. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself young man?" She asked sternly.

Harry took a deep breath. "I…..I'm sorry for worrying you two again," he said quietly. "It wasn't smart of me to run off like that, I know. But I also know it was the right thing to do," he said. "I couldn't stand by and do nothing when I knew I could do something. I'm sorry that I worried you, but I'm not sorry for what I did," he said, looking at both Gareth and Marian, not flinching or blinking.

The two of them stood there for a few seconds, before breaking into smiles. "That's the way we raised you," Gareth said, clapping his hand on Harry's shoulder. Marian just hugged him, smiling.

Almost as soon as she had released him though, he was in another hug, as Mrs. Weasley grabbed him up. "Oh thank you Harry! Thank you! You rescued my daughter! Thank you so much!" She kept crying out. Harry just grunted from being squeezed, and awkwardly hugged her back.

The phoenix meanwhile had headed straight to the other figure in the room the minute the door opened, Dumbledore smiled as he stroked the chest feathers of the phoenix, while watching Harry.

As soon as Harry was freed from Mrs. Weasley's grasp, he approached McGonagall's desk and set both the sword he had received, the destroyed diary, and the Sorting Hat on it. "I assume you two know each other?" Harry asked Dumbledore, indicating the phoenix.

Dumbledore nodded. "His name is Fawkes. In a way, he is my familiar, though I think of him more as a partner," he said with a smile. He looked at Harry. "Now, I do believe you should tell us what exactly happened?" He asked.

Harry nodded, and took a deep breath as he sat down in the chair facing the desk. McGonagall moved to stand next to Dumbledore, while the Wallace's and the Weasley's found extra chairs to sit in.

Harry began his tale from the beginning, starting with hearing the disembodied voice on Halloween Night. He covered the investigations he, Hermione, and Neville had done, leading up to their discovery of Moaning Myrtle's past. He followed that with them questioning the acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest, per Hagrid's advice, and the letter they had gotten from Hermione that led them to realize what was in the Chamber. He then ended with the battle in the Chamber, telling them about Lockhart's death, the true nature of the Basilisk Tutella, and Riddle's defeat.

He now bit his lip, glancing at Riddle's diary. He hadn't mentioned anything about it, or Ginny's full involvement. He glanced at Dumbledore, whose eyes twinkled as he smiled. "I must say this is one extraordinary adventure," he said. "The only question now is how did Voldemort kidnap Ginny and bring her down into the Chamber of Secrets, considering my sources say what's left of him is currently in Albania."

Mr. Weasley gasped out. "You Know Who? He kidnapped Ginny? But how? Why?"

Harry picked up the destroyed diary. "It was because of this," he said. "This diary was property of Tom Riddle when he was here at school. When he was sixteen years old, he opened the Chamber of Secrets, believing Salazar Slytherin intended its use to wipe out those with muggle parents who came here to this school. When he was unable to finish his work, he used some sort of magic ritual to preserve his memories, and a small part of his soul, into this diary. This allowed him to interact with anyone who happened to be writing in it. And in doing so, slowly intrude upon their mind, allowing him to posses him. Tom Riddle would later become the Dark Lord Voldemort."

Mrs. Weasley gasped. "So he was possessing someone? Who?" She asked.

Harry wasn't sure how to answer, but a quiet voice did it for me. "Me."

Everyone looked at Ginny, who was looking down at the floor. "I….I was writing in the diary. I found it in my Transfiguration book, and thought mom bought it for me. When To-…..when he started writing back….I thought he….I thought it was great, to have someone I could talk to, confide in. I had no idea what he truly was," she started to cry.

Mr. Weasley, who had opened his mouth to say something, stopped when he saw his little girl cry. He knelt down and hugged her, and she burst into sobs as she hugged him, repeatedly saying 'I'm sorry', over and over again.

Dumbledore stood up and walked over, placing a gentle hand on Ginny's shoulder. "Do not fret, Miss Weasley. Witches and wizards far older and more experienced then you have been tricked and ensnared by Voldemort in the past. Though you should take this as a valuable lesson," he said with his kind, grandfatherly smile.

Ginny nodded quietly, as Dumbledore turned to her parents. "She's been through a rather trying and tiring ordeal. I suggest you take her to the Infirmary, where she should get lots of rest and perhaps a mug of hot chocolate. Madame Pomfrey should be there, preparing to administer the Mandrake Restorative Potion."

The Weasley's nodded, but before they could leave, Ginny rushed to Harry and hugged him. "Thank you," she whispered softly.

Harry just smiled and hugged her. "It was no problem," he said. "Maybe you could join me and my friends for dinner tonight?" He asked with a smile.

Ginny blushed but nodded. "I-I'd like that," she said, before slowly leaving with her parents. Harry sighed as he turned back to Dumbledore. The Headmaster had returned to McGonagall's seat.

"Now Harry, there are a few things we need to discuss, starting first with Professor Lockhart. You said that….Tutella was it? That she ate him?" He asked.

Harry nodded. "During my battle with her, I was able to knock her back via one of my Mage spells. As she was recovering, Lockhart rushed into the room, practically straight into her. I think you can guess what happened there," he said.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. His death is distressing, but what is more distressing is, if what you say is true, he was the one who stunned Mr. Longbottom. An attack on a student is a grave matter," he said.

Harry growled softly. "I'm sure he was simply going to modify Neville's memory, given the chance. My friends and I are completely convinced he's nothing but a fraud."

Dumbledore sighed. "Minerva, would you please go to his office and begin to sort through his effects? They'll need to be properly handled."

The Transfiguration teacher nodded. "Alright Albus, I'll get right on it. Though personally, I'd rather set fire to all of it," she said as she left.

Dumbledore chuckled softly, before turning to Harry, and the Wallace's. "Now Harry. I believe this is the second time in two years you've broken numerous school rules, and disobeyed the directions of your teachers," he said, putting his fingers together in quiet contemplation. Harry just nodded quietly, ready to accept his punishment.

After a few moments, Dumbledore smiled. "This is also the second time when you have shown courage, dedication, and selflessness, putting the welfare of others above your own. You rescued Miss Weasley, and stopped a grave threat that could have cost more lives. As such, I do believe you, Mr. Longbottom, and Miss Granger deserve a reward of two hundred points apiece for Gryffindor, and Special Awards for Services to the School for all three of you."

Harry blinked before grinning. "Thank you Headmaster," he said.

Dumbledore just continued to smile. "No Harry. It is this school, and I who owe you thanks. You showed remarkable dedication and loyalty to this school, and to me. It was only that loyalty that would call Fawkes to you."

Harry nodded in acknowledgement, as Dumbledore's smile faded a bit. "So, you've met Voldemort's original form, when he was Tom Riddle," he said quietly.

Harry nodded. "It's so hard to believe that the….that what I saw last year used to be him."

Dumbledore let out a tired sigh. "Indeed. It is hard to believe myself. When he was here at this school….he was a lot like you, you know. He was clever, courageous, smart, and cunning. He also had a certain disregard for the rules, like you do. Only he disregarded them for his own ends, while you seem to only do it to help others."

Harry bit his lip. "Professor….I have to ask….how can I speak Parseltongue? Am I…..am I a descendent of Salazar Slytherin?" Harry asked. Gareth tensed at that, while Marian hugged his arm.

Dumbledore looked at Harry. "I do not think so, Harry. The reason you can speak Parseltongue, I think, is because of the scar Voldemort gave you," he said, as he pointed to Harry's lightning bolt scar on his forehead. Harry touched it, as Dumbledore continued. "The night he attacked you, I think Voldemort unintentionally transferred some of his power, and perhaps a small part of his personality to you. However, whether or not you are descended from Slytherin would be hard to find. Records of the Founders of Hogwarts are somewhat sketchy. While I'm sure there are those who know the lineage of the Founders, most records of the time are lost."

Harry nodded, as Dumbledore turned his attention to the sword lying on the desk. "I have only seen this sword in paintings," he said, as he reached for it. But just as his hand touched the hilt, he let out a yelp of pain and yanked his hand back.

Harry blinked in concern as Gareth and Marian stood up. "Professor, are you alright?" He asked.

Dumbledore just blinked in mild surprise. "Yes, I am," he said, as he slowly reached for the blade. Again, as he touched it he pulled his hand back, wincing in pain. 'Curious….very curious," he said. "Mr. Potter…if you would indulge me, please pick up the sword."

Harry blinked in some confusion at that, but slowly did so. Both Gareth and Marian blinked in surprise when Harry didn't pull his hand back in pain, but held the sword up. Dumbledore smiled though. "I see then. It seems that the sword has chosen a new wielder. And I don't think it could find a better candidate."

Harry blinked in confusion. "Sir? What are you talking about?"

Dumbledore just smiled. "Please, examine the hilt Harry."

Harry slowly did so, only for his eyes to widen as he found the name _Godric Gryffindor_ inlaid on the hilt in small gold letters. "This is Godric Gryffindor's sword?" He asked.

Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed. A blade of goblin craftsmanship, imbued with power magic enchantments. Gryffindor had it commissioned from the goblins when he was a young man. When he fought with it, it was claimed he was a devastating force to be reckoned with, deflecting spells with its blade, piercing even the strongest of magical shields. And now, it has chosen you to wield it."

Harry slowly rotated the sword, examining it in awe. Marian bit her lip as she watched. "But goblin tradition states that the sword belongs to the one crafted it. When Godric died, it should have gone back to them."

Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed. But I'm sure that if you talk to the goblins, and show them that this sword wishes to be wielded by Harry, they will understand, and only claim it upon Harry's death. Which hopefully won't be until many decades from now."

Marian and Gareth nodded, while Harry blinked. "I….I can't accepts this," he said. "It's too much."

Dumbledore smiled. "The sword wants to be wielded by you Harry. And if I'm not mistaken, it seems you need a new sword." He indicated the hilt in Harry's belt, with the broken blade.

Harry bit his lip, and looked to his parents. They both just nodded. "This is your choice Harry." Gareth smiled at his older son.

Harry looked at the sword, before sighing and nodded. "Thank you for choosing me," he told the sword. He swore he almost felt the blade hum in response, as if in response to his words.

Dumbledore smiled. "Well, now that that's been settled, there are a few last things to take care of. I'll need to put a new ad out for a Defense Against Dark Arts teacher. And we'll need to send for Hagrid right away. And I do believe a celebratory feast is in order. Gareth, you and Marian are more than welcome to stay and join in the festivities."

Marian smiled. "We'd love to. If nothing else, then to make sure our son doesn't get into anymore trouble this year," she said, as Harry rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Dumbledore smiled as he clapped his hands. Quite suddenly, a small being appeared next to him. Harry's eyes widened, as he saw the small creature was similar to Dobby, the House Elf that had enchanted that Bludger to break his arm. Only this House Elf wore a tea towel tied like a toga on his body, with a golden H stamped on the front. The Elf's nose was also shorter, and his eyes smaller then Dobby's.

Dumbledore smiled as he spoke to the creature. "Can you and the other House Elves begin arrangements for a feast? We have much to celebrate," he told the house elf.

The small creature bowed. "At once Headmaster!" He squeaked out, before disappearing with a crack.

Harry's eyes widened, as the house elf's appearance jolted his memory. "Professor, there's something else you need to know. I think I know who gave Ginny that diary," he said.

Dumbledore became stern. "Who Harry? Who did it?"

Harry bit his lip. "I'm not one hundred percent sure, but….I think it was Lucius Malfoy. I remember before the school year, he was in Flourish and Blotts. He and Mr. Weasley got into a fight, and he had Ginny's Transfiguration Book. She said she found the diary inside her Transfiguration book. And what's more….the Quidditch Match against Slytherin, when the rogue Bludger was attacking me. I found out that it was enchanted by a House Elf named Dobby. It was he who blocked the portal onto platform Nine and Three-Quarters at the beginning of the year as well. He told me he had done it then to try and stop me from coming to Hogwarts, and he enchanted the Bludger in an attempt to have me sent back home. He said he was doing it to save me, because terrible things were happening here this school year."

Dumbledore nodded. "So it seems he knew what was going to happen here. But how?" He asked. Though the way he said it seemed more like a man who knew the answer, but wanted to hear Harry say it anyways.

Harry nodded. "I asked Fred and George Weasley to contact their father, see if there was a House Elf Registration in the Ministry. I actually got my answer not too long ago. Dobby is registered as a servant to Lucius Malfoy."

Dumbledore smiled. "Excellent deduction work Harry. Unfortunately, the evidence is too flimsy to bring charges against Lucius. Especially with his connections in the Ministry. But still, perhaps we could-."

They were interrupted by the approaching noises of footsteps and occasional high pitched squeals of pain. The door suddenly burst open and in strolled Lucius Malfoy, as if he owned the place. Though his appearance suggested he had been in a hurry to get here. His usually sleek hair was slightly less sleek with a few strands out of place. His clothes were rumpled, and his boots where dirty. Even now, Dobby was scurrying around his feet, trying to shine them. But Harry blinked, seeing Dobby's fingers, ears, and legs were bandaged, and he had bruises on his arms as well.

Lucius glared at Dumbledore. "What are you doing here, Dumbledore? You were suspended by the Board of Governor's," he sneered, kicking Dobby away from him as the house elf made another attempt to clean them. Harry growled mostly to himself, and felt similar anger coming from his mother and father behind him.

Dumbledore merely smiled, though it lacked the warmth and twinkle that usually was there. "Well you see Lucius I was actually owled by the other eleven governors' not even an hour ago. I must admit, it was almost like being in a rainstorm of feathers. As soon as they learned that Arthur's daughter had been taken into the Chamber they immediately rescinded the suspension order. They felt that I was needed back here. Rather odd thing, most of them claimed you had threatened their families if they didn't suspend me in the first place."

Lucius gave Dumbledore a cold glare. "Well then. What are your plans for dealing with the situation?" He snapped.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Oh I actually don't have to do anything. Young Harry here took it upon himself to deal with the situation himself. The culprit has already been discovered, and the threat averted."

Lucius's eyes snapped to Harry, who stood his ground. "I see. And who was the culprit behind all this?" He asked.

Dumbledore smiled, as he held up the ruins of the diary. "Voldemort. Or more accurately, Tom Riddle, by means of this diary. He seemed to have enchanted it, so whoever wrote it in would slowly become possessed by him. Thankfully, Harry was able to destroy Voldemort's presence in this book. In fact, if it wasn't for him, young Miss Weasley might have taken all the blame for what happened. If she had survived."

Lucius's face became rather mask like at that. Harry watched him, only to blink when he saw Dobby move. He glanced at him, as the House elf seemed to be pointing at Lucius with his eyes, then the diary, and then hitting himself on the head. Harry, understanding what Dobby was getting at, nodded at him. Dobby let out a silent sigh of relief.

Dumbledore looked at the ruined diary. "Yes. If anything, whoever gave this diary to Ginny had quite the clever plan. Imagine the uproar that would have occurred if she had taken the blame, and word spread that the daughter of a prominent pure blood family was attacking muggleborn students. In fact….isn't Arthur Weasley pushing through a new legislature? The Muggle Protection Act, yes? I could imagine that it would die rather quickly, if his daughter was discovered attacking muggleborns. Thankfully though, the true culprit was found, and dealt with."

Lucius stiffly nodded. "Yes. Very fortunate," he said.

Harry decided to speak at that moment. "Mr. Malfoy? I think you would be interested in knowing how Ginny received the diary in the first place."

Lucius scoffed at that. "Why should I care how that stupid little girl got it?" He said. Harry mentally growled, as his eyes hardened.

"Because you gave it to her. Or rather, you slipped it into her Transfiguration Book at Flourish and Blotts, using the fight with Mr. Weasley to mask your actions.

The elder Malfoy growled, as he took a step towards Harry, only to become aware of the figures of Marian and Gareth behind Harry. Both of which had tensed, their hands moving to cast spells if need be. Lucius as he stepped back. "Prove it boy," he snapped instead.

"Oh I'm sure that if the diary was still intact, we could have a case to prove it, what with Veritserum and Pensieve's being on hand to verify such claims. But without the diary, it is impossible. Still, I think you should think twice about handing out Tom Riddle's old school things, Lucius. If it were to happen again, I'm sure Arthur Weasley would trace it back to you," Dumbledore said.

Lucius just growled as he turned to leave. "Dobby!" He snapped, pulling the door open. The house elf scurried forward, only to be booted through the door, with Lucius following. They heard more squeals of pain, making the three Mage's clench their hands.

Dumbledore sighed. "It is too bad that the Malfoy's haven't slipped up yet and given Dobby clothes," he said.

Harry blinked. "What sir?" He asked, confused.

Dumbledore smiled. "House elves can be freed of their master's service by presenting them with normal clothing. Normally they're dressed in whatever strange things their masters give them, or that they find around the house."

Harry's eyes widened, as a plan came into his head. "Professor, can I have Riddle's diary for a moment?" He asked.

Dumbledore smiled. "Of course Harry," he said, handing the diary to him.

Not two minutes later, harry had managed to catch up to Lucius Malfoy and the abused Dobby. "Mr. Malfoy, wait!" Harry shouted.

Lucius turned and sneered at Harry, only to blink as Harry shoved the diary into his hands. "What is this?" He snapped.

Harry just did his best to look innocent. "I'm just returning your property to you sir," he said.

Lucius just sneered as he shoved the ruined diary into Dobby's arms. "I'd suggest keeping your nose out of business that doesn't concern you boy. Your parents were the same and looked what it got them."

Harry's gaze went from innocent to steely. "When it threatens my friends, it's my business," he said.

Lucius just sneered, and turned to leave. "Come Dobby," he snapped.

Dobby though was frozen. When Lucius had shoved the diary into his hands, Dobby had noticed something strange. Like there was something in it. He had opened the diary, and his eyes widened. "Master has given me a sock," he whispered.

Lucius turned. "What? I haven't given you-," his eyes widened as he saw Dobby holding up a slimy black sock.

"Master has presented Dobby with clothes….Dobby is free," the house elf said with a voice that seemed choked with joy and awe.

Lucius's eyes widened as he looked at harry, who just grinned. His face contorted in rage. "You lost me my servant!" He yelled, drawing his wand. Harry raised his hands, about to conjure a defensive spell, when Dobby moved in front of him.

"You will not touch Harry Potter!" Dobby shouted. There was a loud bang and Lucius Malfoy went flying down the hall, landing in an undignified heap. He got up quickly, snarling, only to see Dobby ready. "You will not touch Harry Potter," the house elf repeated.

With a sneer, the elder Malfoy turned and left. Harry grinned, only to grunt as a small figure barreled into him, hugging him. "Thank you Harry Potter! Thank you for helping to free Dobby!"

Harry just patted his head. "I-It's no problem Dobby. Just….next time you want to rescue me….try to do it in a way that doesn't kill me?"

Dobby just grinned at him.

Back in Minerva's office, Dumbledore watched the Wallaces leave. As they did, his face became serious, as he pulled out a parchment and began to write on it. He looked to Fawkes as he finished. "Fawkes, take this to Nicolas Flamel please," he said.

Fawkes trilled and took the letter before disappearing in a burst of flames. Dumbledore sat back, looking at the door. 'It would seem you are the one, Harry Potter,' he thought to himself.

_Three Days Later_

The days following Harry rescuing Ginny went by in a blur. There had been a massive feast in the Great Hall, where Dumbledore had revealed to the school the events that had transpired in the Chamber of Secrets. Some of the truth had been edited, omitting the fact that Ginny had been possessed by Voldemort or that Tutella was still alive down there. But the actions of Harry and Neville Longbottom had not been hidden. Each was given a hero's welcome in the Great Hall, for their heroic actions in rescuing Ginny Weasley, and freeing the school of the terror that had darkened it's halls for so long this year. Neville bashfully tried to turn down the praise given him, saying he hadn't done that much.

They were soon joined by the petrified students, who immediately came over to Harry when they heard the news of what he had done. Hermione was hugging him, yelling about how she knew he would figure things out. Harry just grinned and said that he couldn't have done it without her help. Though he also made her promise not to go running off like she had again.

Several hours later, Hagrid came strolling into the great Hall, the biggest grin on his face as he headed right to Harry and cuffed him on the shoulder. "Yeh did great Harry!" He shouted, grinning. "Thanks fer getting meh out o' trouble."

Harry just smiled and patted Hagrid's hand on his shoulder, since that was the only part he could really reach.

Along with Hagrid, a Ministry team had come, to do an investigation into the actions of Gilderoy Lockhart. Dumbledore had announced his death to the school, but not his actions against Neville Longbottom. Now though, he told the investigation team in private some disturbing news.

When McGonagall had been going thorough Lockhart's belongings, she had found a few journals, which seemed to contain his personal memoirs. In them, Lockhart had actually admittedly, almost proudly, that he in fact was a fraud. He detailed how he had tracked down people who had dealt with all the vampires and werewolves and such that he had claimed he had dealt with in his books. He had questioned these people about how they had accomplished their daring deeds, before erasing their memories and taking credit for their accomplishments.

It was his last entry though that had been most disturbing. Apparently, Lockhart had written in his journal right before he went to the Chamber. In it, he detailed how he knew, after Harry had left the staff meeting that Harry would try to go and save Ginny. He knew the type of person Harry was, and that was the hero type, who went to rescue people in danger. He detailed how he planned to follow Harry to enter the Chamber of Secrets, and then at the right moment, swoop in to claim the glory of killing the basilisk. Afterwards, he would modify both Neville and Harry's memories, making it seem like he had saved them and thus force them to be indebted to him.

Stunned by the information given to them concerning Lockhart, the Ministry Investigation team quickly returned back to the Ministry, with assurances that they would look into this injustice and correct it.

Another injustice had been taken care of, in the form of Lucius Malfoy. Adding to the loss of his house elf, Lucius Malfoy had been fired as a School Governor. Draco had lost much of his swagger after that, considering his father being on the Board of Govenor's had made him think he could get away with anything. He had tried to take revenge on Harry for the loss of Dobby, but had been thwarted by a combination of Neville's raised and clenched fist, and Hermione's wand pointed at him. After that, he went back to snide remarks and glares.

Harry was currently sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room with Hermione, Neville, and Ginny. The youngest Weasley had still been a bit shy at first around Harry. But after spending some time talking to him and his friends at the Feast, she had begun to see he wasn't quite the bigger than life hero she had thought he was from the stories she had heard. He was a hero, no doubt about that. But once you got past that, she had found he was a normal person. Especially after his mom had grounded him for a whole month for running off and disobeying the rules again, after saying how proud she was for what he had done. Hermione and Neville had welcomed her into their small group of friends, and now the trio had become a quartet.

Now the three of them were just lazing about, talking about their plans for the upcoming Summer break, when they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat behind Harry.

Harry turned around, to find Ron standing there, looking a bit uneasy. Hermione, Neville, and even Ginny tensed up a bit, not sure what Ron was going to do.

The youngest male Weasley took a deep breath. "I….owe you an apology, Harry." Harry raised an eyebrow, as Ron continued. "I've…..been a real idiot….ever since the train ride to Hogwarts in our First Year. I was convinced that you were an attention seeking prat, only interested in having everyone look at you. But…..when you saved my sister….I realized how much of an idiot I've been. So….I'm sorry, for everything I've done," he said, while holding out his hand.

Harry just blinked, before shaking it. "Apology accepted Ron," he said quietly. Ron let out a sigh of relief, before nodding to the others and his sister, and leaving.

Ginny smiled happily. She had known that Ron had disliked Harry for some reason, and had worried what would have happened between her and her brother, due to her new friendship with Harry. "I'm glad he came to his senses," she said with a grin.

Harry nodded. "Me too. I'd hate to be a source of strife between you and your brother," he said with a grin to her, causing her to blush. She still had a small crush on him, and that smile was really nice, in her opinion.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore was greeting a visitor who had just entered his office via the Floo Network. "Nicolas. It's good to see you again," he said with a smile.

The man he was greeting was a man who appeared to be in his seventies. He had shoulder length hair that at one time had been brown, but not was mostly white with age. He also had white sideburns and a goatee. He was currently dressed in rich emerald green robes with golden embroidery.

"It's good to be here at Hogwarts again, Albus." Nicolas Flamel said, as he eased himself into the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk. "So you letter seemed urgent. Care to tell me why?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed. You remember what I told you before the start of the previous school year?"

Flamel became serious. "I do. Why are you bringing that up?"

"I think he's ready for it," Dumbledore said simply.

Flamel sighed as he sat back. "Are you certain? He is rather young Albus. Surely it can wait a couple more years."

Dumbledore shook his head. "There's no time Nicolas. He'll need as much time as possible to learn from it. I agreed to wait a couple years to give him time to adjust to the Wizarding World. But now….what happened this year is just a taste of what's to come. He needs to prepared, and soon."

Flamel sighed, before nodding. "Very well. I'll go retrieve it. It will take time though. At least a month, if not more."

Dumbledore gave a nod. "I understand. I'll arrange a meeting when you've retrieved it."

Flamel sighed. "I do owe him. For him saving my Stone last year. It will be nice to meet him."

The Headmaster grinned. "Indeed. He's rather….inspiring at times. A great hope for the next generation. Now, how is Perenelle?"

Flamel smiled, as two old friends began to talk. For now, business could wait.

_Hogsmeade Station, End of Term_

Another year of Hogwarts had ended. The students had slowly piled into the carriages used to ferry them to and from the station. Despite the lack of any visible horses or other such animals to pull them, the carriages trundled to their destination when full. In this case, they were depositing students at the train station, for the journey back home.

Harry was standing at the train station, his familiars in their cages next to him, his trunk at his feet. He was quietly looking at the school. He had thought a lot had happened last year, coming face to face with Voldemort for the first time. This year though had been even worse, with the attacks by Tutella, even if they were not of her own doing. He had nearly lost one of his friends, and his brother had suffered a terrible humiliation.

As he looked at the castle, he let out a sigh. Hogwarts was certainly becoming an interesting experience. In the two years he had been there, he had encountered two plots masterminded by Voldemort. He silently mused, wondering if this would be a common occurrence, now that he was coming to the school. Would each year bring a new challenge, a new threat from Voldemort?

He was drawn from his thoughts when he sensed three presences moving beside him. He grinned as he felt Neville clap him on the shoulder, as he looked at Neville, Hermione and Ginny. Whatever Voldemort might throw at him next, he knew he could face it, so long as he had his friends by his side.

* * *

><p><strong>And finite! She is done my friends! The Second Year of Battle Mage of Hogwarts is complete!<strong>

**I actually had this whole section in this chapter, dealing with what Nicolas Flamel giving Harry what he and Dumbledore were talking about. But after consulting my dad, he felt I might be doing a bit too much this chapter, considering harry was already gifted the sword of Godric Gryffindor.**

**So, expect to learn what it is Nicolas has that is going to Harry at the beginning of the next harry Potter fanfic! **

**I'm glad so many people enjoyed this fanfic, and are so far enjoying this series. I hope that I can continue to impress you all, and that you continue to enjoy my work.**

**So, please leave a review after you're done reading, telling me what you thought! And make sure to check out my next two upcoming fanfics! Shinobi's Creed, a NarutoxAssassin's Creed crossover, and The Battle Mage of Hogwarts Year 3!**

**Until next time, I remain Leaf Ranger!**


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